The Best Slow-Cooked Bolognese Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 quart homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 to 1 1/2 ounces powdered gelatin, such as Knox
• 1 can peeled whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
• 1/2 pound finely minced chicken livers
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef chuck
• 1 pound ground pork shoulder
• 1 pound ground lamb shoulder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 pound finely diced pancetta
• 1 large onion, finely minced
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 4 ribs celery, finely chopped
• 4 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup minced fresh sage leaves
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves, divided
• 2 cups dry white or red wine
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce, such as Red Boat
• To Serve:
• Dried or fresh pasta, preferably pappardelle, tagliatelle, or penne

Directions

1. Move an oven rack to the lower-middle slot and heat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Pour the stock into a medium bowl or a 1-quart liquid measuring cup, scatter the gelatin over it, and leave it alone for now. Blend the tomatoes until smooth, either right in the can with an immersion blender or in a countertop blender. Put the chicken livers in a cup just wide enough for the immersion blender head, then blend them smooth as well.
2. Warm the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat until it shimmers. Add the ground beef, pork, and lamb, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring as you break the meat apart with a wooden spoon or potato masher, until the pink is gone, about 10 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the puréed chicken livers.
3. While the meat cooks, combine the butter and pancetta in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until much of the fat has melted out but neither the butter nor the pancetta has begun to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, sage, and half of the parsley, then cook, stirring and tossing, until the vegetables are fully tender without browning, about 8 minutes. Scrape everything into the Dutch oven with the meat.
4. Put the Dutch oven back over high heat and continue cooking, stirring, until most of the moisture in the pot has cooked off, about 10 minutes longer.
5. Pour in the wine and cook, stirring, until it has mostly reduced. Add the gelatin-stock mixture, puréed tomatoes, milk, and bay leaves. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
6. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then move the uncovered Dutch oven to the oven. Cook, stirring now and then and scraping the sides of the pot as needed, until the liquid is nearly gone and the sauce underneath a heavy cap of fat is thick and deeply rich, 3 to 4 hours. If it still seems loose after 4 hours, or if the fat has not separated into a substantial layer, set the pot on the stovetop and cook at a lively simmer, stirring often, until it gets there.
7. Skim away most of the fat, leaving about 1 cup in the sauce. For a more exact approach, remove all the fat first, then stir 1 cup of it back in.
8. Stir in the heavy cream, Parmesan, fish sauce, and the remaining parsley. Set the pot on the stovetop and bring the sauce to a boil, stirring constantly so everything comes together smoothly. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper. The bolognese can be cooled and kept in sealed containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
9. To serve, warm the sauce in a large pot until it is just simmering, then set it aside. Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted water until it is just shy of al dente. Drain the pasta, saving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot and add only enough sauce to coat it, plus some of the reserved cooking water. Cook over high heat, tossing and stirring gently, until the sauce thickens and clings to the pasta, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve right away, with Parmesan to pass at the table.