Bob Merlino’s Bolognese Sauce

Ingredient list

·        1 lb ground ground beef

·        ¼ lb bacon  (Oscar Mayer is fine)

·        ½ stick of butter (not margarine)

·        ¼ cup of olive oil

·        1 cup onion

·        5 cloves garlic

·        1 can beef broth

·        1 can crushed tomatoes

·        salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper

·        dry basil, parsley and oregano (fresh preferred but dried is ok)

Procedure

·  In a big heavy saucepan – cook about ¼ lb of bacon chopped into small pieces – add about ¼ cup olive oil and ½ stick of butter

·  when bacon starts cooking add coarsely chopped onion, about 1 cup and about 4-5 big cloves of chopped fresh garlic

·  add about 1/2 tsp salt, ½ tsp ground black pepper, and ½ tsp crushed red pepper

·  when onions start cooking add 1 lb of ground beef and cook until it is brown

·   add another ½ tsp salt, 2 tbs dry basil, 1 tsp dry oregano and 2 tbs dried parsley (use fresh basil and parsley if available)

·   while cooking mix this all together and break up big pieces of ground beef

·   when all this browned, add 1 ½ cup of beef broth and if available ½ cup of dry white or red wine

·  add 1 large can crushed tomatoes, stir all together let this simmer for 40 minutes, uncovered until sauce gets thicker

® If you really want a rich sauce, at the very end add 1/3 cup heavy cream.

Serve over any type of pasta - spaghetti, linguine, penne, rigatoni, etc. You should use a good brand of pasta with this sauce, not the store brand.

The best commercially produced pastas are Fara San Martino (#1) and Barilla (#2). You can also use one of many available fresh pastas on the market, such as the Buitoni brand.

The pasta should be enjoyed with a generous amount of grated Parmesan cheese.