Ingredients:
28 Ounce(wt)s tomatoes, italian, canned with juice
0.5 Pound veal, ground
1.5 Cups milk, whole
0.13 Teaspoon pepper, black ground
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Directions:
Cover the porcini mushrooms with ½ cup water in a small microwave-safe bowl; cover the bowl with plastic wrap, cut a few steam vents with a paring knife, and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. Let stand until the mushrooms have softened, about 5 minutes. Using a fork, lift the porcini from the liquid and transfer to a second small bowl; pour the soaking liquid through a mesh strainer lined with paper towels. Set the porcini and the strained liquid aside.
Bring the wine to a simmer in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat; reduce the heat to low and simmer until the wine is reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 20 minutes. Set the reduced wine aside.
Meanwhile, pulse the carrot in a food processor until broken down into rough ¼-inch pieces, about ten 1-second pulses. Add the onion; pulse until the vegetables are broken down into 1/8-inch pieces, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer the vegetables to a small bowl. Process the softened porcini until well ground, about 15 seconds, scraping down the bowl if necessary. Transfer the porcini to the bowl with carrot and onion. Process the pancetta until the pieces are no larger than ¼ inch, 30 to 35 seconds, scraping down the bowl if necessary; transfer to a small bowl. Pulse the tomatoes with juice until chopped fine, six to eight 1-second pulses.
Heat the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat; when the foaming subsides, add the pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, until well browned, about 2 minutes. Add the carrot, onion, and porcini; cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sugar; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the ground meats, breaking the meat into 1-inch pieces with a wooden spoon, about 1 minute. Add the milk and stir to break the meat into ½-inch bits; bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium, and continue to simmer, stirring to break up the meat into small pieces, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the meat begins to sizzle, 18 to 20 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until combined, about 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes, reserved porcini soaking liquid, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the liquid is reduced and the sauce is thickened but still moist, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the reduced wine and simmer to blend the flavors, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to a rolling boil, covered, in a stockpot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta, stir to separate, and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving ¼ cup pasta cooking water, and return the pasta to the stockpot. Add 2 cups sauce and 2 tablespoons pasta water to the pasta; toss well, adding the remaining pasta water, if necessary, to help distribute the sauce. Divide the pasta among individual bowls and top each portion with about ¼ cup remaining sauce. Serve immediately, passing the Parmesan separately.
Chef's Note: To obtain the best texture, be careful not to break up the meat too much when cooking it in the milk in step 4. With additional cooking and stirring, it will continue to break up. Just about any pasta shape complements this meaty sauce, but spaghetti and linguine are the test kitchen favorites. If using pancetta that has been sliced thin rather than cut into 1-inch chunks, reduce the processing time in step 3 from 30 seconds to about 5 seconds. |
