Ancestral Bolognese Sauce

Have you ever wanted to add an extra nutritional boost to your family’s favorite meals? Organ meat is a powerhouse source of bioavailable iron, vitamins A and B12, and choline; but the strong flavor can be off-putting to some. This recipe uses pork fat, pancetta, or bacon (your choice) to create an amazing, savory sauce that is so yummy on fresh pasta or light, fluffy rice.

THIS RECIPE REQUIRES A MEAT GRINDER

Ingredients

• 2 pound ground beef heart

• 1 pound beef liver

• 10 oz pork pancetta or thick bacon

• 6 whole garlic cloves

• 1 rib of celery (chopped)

• 1 carrot chopped

• 1 small onion chopped

• 1 cup half and half

• 1 cup dry white wine

• (1) 28oz can of diced tomatoes

• 1/4 cup tomato paste

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 tbsp italian seasoning

• 1 tsp kosher salt

Steps

1) Allow the hearts to thaw for 30 minutes on the counter, but do not thaw completely—having them frozen a bit will help them grind easily. Trim the hearts of any remaining central vein/aorta as well as excess fat at the top. Cube the hearts into pieces that can fit in the meat grinder, roughly 1-2 inch pieces, then freeze again.

2) Mix the hearts, belly or pancetta, garlic cloves and chopped vegetables, then pass all of it through a meat grinder on a coarse die. When you get to the end, add another celery stick or a couple pieces of carrot to the grinder to help get the meat mixture out, a piece of bread is good too.

3) Heat the oil in a wide braising or soup pot, then sweat the ground mixture until the pan is nearly dry. Add the remaining ingredients, bring the mixture to a simmer, then turn the heat to low and cook for 2 hours or until the sauce is thick. To serve, double check the seasoning, adjust as needed, stir in butter and chopped parsley if desired, then ladle over cooked noodles with parmesan on the side.