PASTA AND EASY ITALIAN MEAT SAUCE

Pasta and Easy Italian Meat Sauce image

Yield serves 6

Number Of Ingredients 14

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4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 carrot, grated (about 1/2 cup)
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3/4 pound ground beef
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes
1/2 cup milk
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
1 pound fettuccine
Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Steps:

Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the carrot, onion, and garlic. Add the ground beef, and cook until it turns from pink to brown, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and their liquid, crushing them with the back of a large spoon. Stir in the milk, bay leaf, thyme, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the fettuccine until al dente according to the package instructions. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water, and drain the fettuccine. Return it to the warm pot. Add the meat sauce, and toss. Add the reserved pasta water as needed if the sauce seems dry. To serve, sprinkle with Parmesan.
regional ragù
Our sauce is based on the famed Ragù alla Bolognese (sauce in the style of Bologna). The addition of milk might seem to be unusual, but it's traditional in northern Italy-where butter and cream, as well as milk, are essential to the cuisine.