RAGU ALLA BOLOGNESE
Makes: About 6 cups; enough for 2 pounds pasta
Shopping Note: 8 teaspoons of gelatin is equivalent to one (1-ounce) box of gelatin. If you can’t find ground veal, use an additional 12 ounces of ground beef.
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup beef broth
8 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 onion, chopped coarse 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped coarse
1 celery rib, chopped coarse 4 ounces pancetta, chopped 4 ounces mortadella, chopped
6 ounces chicken livers, trimmed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces 85 percent lean ground beef
12 ounces ground veal 12 ounces ground pork 3 tablespoons minced fresh sage
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 cups dry red wine
Salt and pepper
Combine chicken broth and beef broth in bowl; sprinkle gelatin over top and let sit until softened, about 5 minutes.
Pulse onion, carrot, and celery in food processor until finely chopped, about 10 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed; transfer to separate bowl. Pulse pancetta and mortadella in now-empty processor until finely chopped, about 25 pulses; transfer to third bowl. Process chicken livers in again-empty processor until pureed, about 5 seconds; refrigerate until ready to use.
Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add ground beef, veal, and pork and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until all liquid has evaporated and meat begins to sizzle, 10 to 15 minutes.
Stir in pancetta mixture and sage and cook until pancetta is translucent,
5 to 7 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to keep fond from burning. Stir in chopped vegetables and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste and cook until rust-colored and fragrant, about 3 minutes.
Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in broth mixture, return to bare simmer, and cook until sauce has thickened (wooden spoon should leave trail when dragged through sauce), about 1 ½ hours.
Stir in chicken livers and bring to brief simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
Nutrition information per serving: 391 calories; 174 calories from fat; 19 g fat ( 10 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 107 mg cholesterol; 596 mg sodium; 28 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 24 g protein.