Rouxbe

• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 medium onions
• 4 ribs celery
• 2 carrots
• 1/4 cup olive oil

To begin the ragu, first émincé the garlic. Then finely chop the onions, celery and carrots, placing them into a bowl as you work.

Next, preheat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the oil and vegetables (also known as mirepoix) and let cook until translucent, but not browned, about 5 minutes or so.

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• 1 pound ground veal
• 1 pound ground pork
• 4 ounces pancetta
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup whole milk
• 6 ounces tomato paste
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

In the mean time, gather the veal, pork and pancetta. For the pancetta, if your butcher hasn’t ground it for you, finely chop or cut it into quarters and then pulse it in a food processor until ground.

Once the vegetables are translucent, add all of the meat and increase the heat to high. Let the meat brown, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes.

While the meat cooks, gather white wine, milk, tomato paste and thyme. Once the meat has browned nicely, add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Then add the white wine, milk and fresh thyme. Stir again, scraping the bottom if needed. Let everything come just to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours.

As the ragu cooks, remember to stir it occasionally, to avoid it from sticking or scorching.

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• sea salt (to taste)
• freshly ground pepper (to taste)

The ragu should be cooked until almost all of the liquid has evaporated, however, it should still be moist. Once it is done, season with salt and pepper to taste. Then remove from the heat, and use immediately or set aside to let cool.

This ragu is great for any type of pasta dish. It can be refrigerated for up to 2 days; it can also be frozen for up to 1 month.