http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/meat-sauce-and-spaghetti-recipe/index.html
If you have the time, and patience, make this one. I only suggest that you use heavy cream instead of the evaporated milk, it doesn't curdle as easy (the evaporated has curdled on me).
Here I have adapted the recipe to be 2-3 hours to make. At least for me. I'm a slow cook though. I like to be precise with my dicing/chopping/mincing and build lots of flavor and that takes time.
Spaghetti Bolognese
Ingredients
6 Rashers of bacon (sliced thick) or 2 tbsp of bacon fat
1 Large onion (yellow or white), chopped
1 Star Anise
6 Whole cloves (completely optional)
3 tbsp Olive oil
1 lb Italian sausage (I like sweet because of the basil) or ground sirloin (if using this, up your spices to taste)
1 lb Fresh button or baby bella mushrooms, rinsed, sliced, and patted dry (if you want a really good flavor, use 1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms chopped and then soaked in white wine--they usually are with the pasta stuff)
4-5 Cloves of garlic, minced (I like alot of garlic, use less if you don't)
1 jar Spaghetti sauce (use your favorite, I use traditional low-sodium Prego)
1 cup Chardonnay (really important to use wine here because of the tomatoes, but you can substitute diluted apple cider)
2 tsp Dried oregano
1 tbsp Dried basil
2 tsp Dried marjoram
1 tbsp White wine vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Ketchup
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4c Heavy cream
Parmesan cheese to taste
1 gallon Water
2 tbsp Kosher salt
1/2 lb Dried spaghetti
Hardware
2 large Skillets (cast iron can be used for the browning of the meat and mushrooms, but not the other pan)
1 Spice Bag (only necessary if you're using the cloves)
1 Slotted cooking spoon
1 Large cooking spoon
1 large Stock pot
1 Colander
1 Knife
1 Cutting board
Procedure
Start with the non-cast iron skillet over low heat and cut the bacon into one inch pieces into the pan (I use kitchen shears for this). Keep stirring and render all the fat out (basically until they're super crispy--approx 20 minutes), remove with the slotted spoon to a paper towel, cool and then store for use with something else (like a salad!). If you already had the bacon fat, of course you can skip all that, just melt it in the pan over low heat. The advantage of doing it fresh is the fond on the bottom:
Add the onions and the star anise pod (and cloves in the spice bag and then crushed) with a heavy pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until dark brown.
About the time the onions start to get a little brown on the edges, heat the other skillet up over high heat. Once it is hot, add 2 tbs of the olive oil. It will smoke, once it does, crumble the sausage into the pan. Don't stir for the first 10 seconds or so. You want to brown the meat really good. Once it is, remove with the slotted spoon into a bowl and set aside.
Add the remaining oil into the pan and put your mushrooms in a single layer in the bottom of the pan. Brown them, stirring very occasionally.
When they are about done, dump the sausage back in (juices too!) and add 1/2 of the Chardonnay (pull off the heat to do this) and start scraping the bottom of the pan to get any remaining brown bits up. Once there's nothing more on the bottom of the pan, remove from heat. In it's place, bring your water to a boil in the stock pot over high heat with the salt and a little oil on top if you want.
By now, your onions should be about brown. If they are, add your garlic and cook until you get hit in the face with the smell (DON'T burn the garlic!). Remove the star anise and the spice bag. Dump in the meat/mushroom/wine mixture. Turn your heat to high then add 1/2 of the jar of sauce and basically "fry" everything until most of the excess moisture is gone. Drop the heat to med-low, add in the rest of the jar, then shake the other 1/2 cup of wine in the jar to get the last bits of the sauce and then pour into the pan. Now add the spices, vinegar, Worcestershire, and ketchup. Add your salt and pepper to taste (I usually add very little salt and a tablespoon and a 1/2 of pepper...but that's just me). It will taste a bit sour, but that's normal. Turn your attention to the pasta as the sauce heats up (stirring occasionally).
The water should be boiling. I usually break mine in half before putting it in the water, but that's up to you. Stir quite a bit in the first minute or so and then every couple of minutes after that. Start checking it for tenderness about 2 minutes before the package says it should be done. You want it to be al dente (have a slight bite to it) then drain in the colander. The sauces should be bubbling by now. Pour in the heavy cream and stir to combine, then dump your pasta in. Heat up to simmering again then turn off your heat. Here's when you can add your parm, but I like to serve then put it on top. Serve with some crusty bread baked at 350° with butter and garlic on it. I like bolillos for this. Enjoy!
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