The Return of Bolognese.

Once upon a time, there was a delicious, go-to meal at the White Hot household called Fettuccine with Bolognese Sauce. And then Mandy turned twenty-nine.

Here's the thing about Mandy: I really love her. She is hilarious and thoughtful and just so dear to me, and I felt like her birthday was the perfect time to remind her just how grateful I am to have her in my life. So I made her the Ultimate Lasagna Bolognese (because food is our love language). And Hugh and I drove to Savannah with a birthday party loaded in our car.

Lasagna was eaten, candles were blown out, champagne was consumed, and a delightful time was had by all. Until 5am. Because at 5am, I woke up with the stomach flu.

I will kindly spare you the details, but it was awful. And we had to drive home that morning. If you have ever ridden three and a half hours (that's how long a two hour drive takes if you have to stop every fifteen minutes) in the cab of a truck with your crazy dog and your very sick wife who is insisting that the dog cannot touch her, then you might be almost as great as my sweet husband. I told Hugh at one point that I would rather die than keep riding in the car. I'm sure he felt the same.

Suffice to say, it is a painful memory that turned me off of both Bolognese and champagne for far too long. Too long as in Mandy's birthday was in March and I just had my first glass of champagne ten days ago. But, as of Sunday night I have also reunited with Fettuccine with Bolognese Sauce!

It is the perfect Sunday night dinner:

You can get everything in the pot and let it simmer away and make the house smell delicious. We serve this over fresh fettuccine with a green salad with vinaigrette and some hunks of sourdough bread for sopping the delicious sauce. Enjoy!

Fettuccine With Bolognese Sauce

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 pound pancetta, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano, or 1 tablespoon dried
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the celery, carrot, and garlic and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the pancetta and cook for 5 minutes, then add the beef and cook until brown. Add the wine and the remaining ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes or until sauce is thick. Serve with cooked fettuccine. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Tip: You can turn the heat down really low and let it simmer for longer than 45 minutes. Also, this is even better the next day.