Bolognese sauce ranks pretty high on my list of favorite things to cook in the dead of winter. It’s the ultimate comfort food–hearty, homey, and warming. Plus, it requires you to spend a slow-paced afternoon in a toasty kitchen with an open bottle of wine. What more could you ask for?
This recipe makes a big batch of Bolognese sauce that will keep you warm for several winter nights. It’s a combination of beef, pork, and veal that is slowly simmered with wine and tomatoes until it becomes unbelievably rich and luxurious. I used half of the batch in the lasagna I served on Christmas Eve and there are 2 small containers of it squirreled away in the freezer that will dress pasta or top polenta some time later this month when I’m snowed in and need nourishment.
Every home cook needs a soup like this in their arsenal. It’s the perfect thing to whip up when you feel a cold coming on, when the weather is frigid, or you’ve just got the blues and need to sit on the couch and slurp up some comfort.
Don’t worry, I’m not going to preach about New Year’s resolutions. I’m not on a crash diet and I will never, ever give up butter or sugar. No, this salad’s more about the fact that I simply cannot bear the thought of any heavy foods for a while. It seems like all I’ve done for weeks is eat. If anyone offers me another cookie or piece of cheese, I may very well drop into a food coma that lasts until next winter.