An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace

by Tamar Adler

White Bolognese 1/4 cup finely chopped onion 1/8 cup finely chopped carrot 1 stalk celery, finely chopped olive oil salt 1 pound Italian pork sausage, removed from its casings, or ground pork plus 1 teaspoon chile flakes and 3 leaves fresh sage, finely sliced 1 pound ground beef 11/2 cups white wine 2 cups beef or chicken stock 11/2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms rehydrated in 3 cups warm water 1/3 cup heavy cream 1 pound rigatoni or another short noodle or 1 cup polenta 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese Cook the onion, carrot, and celery in olive oil until tender, salting them as soon as you add them to the pan. Add the sausage and beef, break it up, and brown it well. Add the wine and simmer until the pan is almost dry. Add the stock and simmer, uncovered, until the stock is nearly gone, stirring every now and again. Chop the rehydrated porcini into small pieces and strain the liquid through a coffee filter. Add the porcini and strained mushroom broth to the sauce to cover the meat halfway. Simmer until the sauce is loose but not soupy, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt. It should be highly seasoned. Fold the cream in. Remove from the heat. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta or polenta. Heat sauce before mixing with the pasta or ladling over bowls of warm polenta. Grate each bowl with Parmesan.