Antonia Lofaso's Formula For Out-Of-This-World Bolognese Sauce

If you're the type to regularly make a Sunday sauce or meat sauce at home, you've probably been told time and again that the secret to a good sauce is patience. Right? While true, there are other ways to amp up the flavor in a sauce that aren't as time-consuming. For a good Bolognese, there are some traditional add-ins that make for a more flavorful sauce, including a generous pour of heavy cream or milk. For a more American-style meat sauce, the tomatoes and tomato sauce are crucial for adding layers of gentle sweetness and acidity. And of course, with both, the most important element is — you guessed it — time.  

We got the chance to chat with chef Antonia Lofaso at the New York City Wine and Food Festival, and she shared her formula for creating a Bolognese sauce with a few meaningful twists. The first step in Lofaso's meat sauce technique is to bloom onion and garlic with some high-quality olive oil over heat. Let the garlic and onion cook low, allowing the flavors in each to deeply flavor the oil. Then, add tomato paste. This is the first not-so-traditional step in her method, as Lofaso notes that Bolognese from Bologna, doesn't actually "have any tomato in it." Then comes the milk. "Yes, milk," said Lofaso, laughing. "...the milk gives it this idea as if it has been braising for quite some time. In some areas of Bologna it is traditional to add a bit of milk to your sauce."

Rich, hearty, and oh-so flavorful, a good Bolognese isn't something to rush through. However, with Lofaso's technique, you'll still get that same meaty, unctuous flavor without sticking quite so close to the rules.

The tomato paste combined with the milk is a real best-of-both-worlds scenario, with some of the traditions of a Sunday sauce meating (sorry) with those of a Bolognese. By adding in the milk and tomato paste and giving the sauce that added cooking-for-hours richness, this sauce becomes one of ease, perhaps even something that could be made for a weeknight dinner. When it comes to the meat, you can certainly go the traditional route with ground pork and beef, or you can skirt the rules once again and go with a hand-cut skirt steak instead, like in this recipe for classic ragu alla Bolognese from Chez Panisse Cafe.