Instructions
Render the pancetta
1
Set the pan over medium-low heat. Add the chopped pancetta with the olive oil and butter. Cook 6-8 minutes until the fat is translucent and the pancetta just starts to colour at the edges.
Sweat the soffritto
2
Add the onion, carrot and celery. Season with a small pinch of salt. Stir, drop the heat to low, and cook 12-15 minutes until everything is soft, sweet and pale gold.
Add the beef
3
Turn the heat back up to medium. Add the ground beef in loose lumps. Break it up with a wooden spoon and cook 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until the meat has lost its raw pink but has not browned.
Deglaze with white wine
4
Pour in the wine. Stir, scraping the base. Let it bubble uncovered 4-5 minutes until you can no longer smell alcohol.
Add the milk
5
Pour the warm milk over the meat. Grate a whisper of nutmeg if using. Simmer gently until the milk is fully absorbed, about 10 minutes.
Add the tomato
6
Stir in the passata (or diluted concentrate). Bring to a bare simmer.
The long ride
7
Drop the heat to the lowest setting — the surface should just blip, not bubble. Cover with the lid slightly ajar. Simmer 3 hours at ~185°F / 85°C, stirring every 20 minutes. Top up with a ladle of broth whenever the sauce looks tight.
Rest and season
8
Kill the heat. Taste. Adjust salt and pepper only now — early salting concentrates too much over three hours. Let it sit 15 minutes before saucing pasta.
