This might be the first time you’re seeing a blonde bolognese, the lesser known version of a classic tomato-based bolognese. This traditional bolognese from Bologna uses milk to bring all the ingredients together, making it creamy, fragrant and jam-packed with flavour. It’s also filled with vegetables. Please trust me, you will love this sauce, and I guarantee it’ll become a firm favourite.

Ingredients

40ml extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

1 large carrot, skin on, finely diced

2 celery stalks, including leaves, diced

70g pancetta or speck, chopped

3 whole garlic cloves, unpeeled, bruised

10–15 sage leaves (or 3–4 sprigs)

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 tbsp fennel seeds

½ tsp sea salt flakes

1kg minced pork and beef

250ml (1 cup) dry white wine (optional)

250ml (1 cup) chicken stock

250ml (1 cup) full-cream milk

pasta, to serve

Preparation

Step 1 Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, pancetta and garlic and saute for 10–15 minutes or until softened and fragrant.

Step 2 Add the sage leaves (or sprigs), nutmeg, fennel and salt. Cook, stirring, for about 1 minute until fragrant. Increase the heat to medium–high and add the minced pork and beef. Break up the meat using a wooden spoon and cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Step 3 Pour in the wine (if using), scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let it simmer for 3–4 minutes.

Step 4 Reduce the heat to low, pour in the stock, stirring to combine. Slowly pour in the milk while stirring constantly. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 1½–2 hours, stirring occasionally. The sauce should thicken and the fat from the pancetta and minced meat should sit on top.

Step 5 Serve with your favourite pasta. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

NOTE: If you use a high-fat content minced pork and beef, you can refrigerate the whole batch of sauce, then skim some of the cold fat off before portioning to freeze. This is completely optional.

Serves 8

More than 28g protein per serve. Budget-friendly.

Extracted from Easy Italian Dinners From My Little Kitchen by Melanie Lionello, photography by Mark Roper. Murdoch Books $39.99