Butcher Shop Bolognese

This recipe is from Barbara Lynch's STIR cookbook. I was put off by the chicken livers in the recipe the first couple of times I made it so I omitted them but once I started adding them I realized that they help add a rich flavor to the sauce which is pretty amazing.  I usually make this the day before or morning of the dinner because the longer is sits on low heat the better it tastes.  I recently froze a batch for a week until I served it and that worked out great too.  I serve the bolognese over linguine with some fresh parmesean cheese on top.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large celery stalk, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
5 oz chicken livers, trimmed and finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
1 1/2 lbs ground meat, preferably 1/2 lb each of veal, pork and lamb
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
1 1/2 cups chicken broth or beef broth
1 14-oz can chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped basil
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
Salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion, celery and carrot.  Cook stirring occasionally until tender about 10 minutes.  Add the chicken livers adn sage, season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring until the livers lose their red color, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the ground meat in batches, letting it brown a little before adding more.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook until there is no more red/pink in the meat.  Pour off most of the fat frm the pan.  Add the wine and increase the heat to high.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to break up the meat clumps.  Cook until the wine is almost gone (10-15 min).  Add the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil first, then simmer.  Cook uncovered until the sauce is thick, dark and rich for at least 1 hour.  (Note: the longer the better, I cook mine for ~5 hours on low).  Stir in the cream before serving if you want.  I like adding a bit of cream because it seems to make the sauce stick/coat the pasta a bit better.

Phil chowing down on the bolognese