| | | PASTA AND EASY ITALIAN MEAT SAUCE A meaty tomato sauce that doesn't need to cook for a long time. The addition of milk might seem unusual, but it's traditional in northern Italy. I will make the sauce live, add cooked pasta and serve. Ingredients 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 carrot, grated
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3/4 pound ground beef
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
1/2 cup milk
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper
1 pound fettuccine, cooked
Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving Directions - Heat butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in carrot, onion, and garlic. Add ground beef, and cook until it turns from pink to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and their liquid, crushing them with the back of a large spoon. Stir in milk, bay leaf, thyme, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Simmer 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook fettuccine until al dente according to package instructions, about 12 minutes. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water; drain fettuccine, and return to the warm pot. Add meat sauce, and toss. Add pasta water as needed if the sauce seems dry. Serve the pasta, garnished with Parmesan.
Note Reserve some of the pasta cooking water, and add a little to the sauce if it seems too thick. The water is ideal for adjusting the consistency of the sauce, and the starch in the water helps the sauce adhere to the pasta. |
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