IN THE KITCHEN WITH: Susan Asselstine

Susan Asselstine has been a resident of Siesta Key for 20 years. One of her family’s favorite meals is pasta with Bolognese sauce, a recipe she found about 10 years ago in her Real Simple cookbook. “It was such an easy thing to make. When I would come home from tennis and the kids were hungry, I could whip this up in about 45 minutes,” says Asselstine.

Asselstine says that she usually makes this meal on Mondays because she cooks a pretty big dinner on Sundays and doesn’t really feel like making a big meal the following day. Her husband and three kids are big fans of the dish and look forward to the delicious weekly dinner.

Pasta with Bolognese Sauce

Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- ¼ pound pancetta, finely chopped
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 6-ounce can diced tomato paste
- 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
- 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1 pound dry fettuccine
- Grated Parmesan

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Makes: 4 to 6 servings

Directions:
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat. As the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add the celery, carrot, and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Add the pancetta and cook for 5 minutes. Add the beef and cook, crumbling it with a spoon, until no trace of pink remains, about 7 minutes. Spoon off and discard an excess fat. Add the wine, milk, tomato paste, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, oregano, parsley, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg and bring to a simmer. Cover partially, reduce the heat, and simmer for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and transfer to individual bowls. Top with sauce and Parmesan.

To freeze… Omit the pasta and the Parmesan. Let the sauce cool, then ladle it into resealable freezer bags. Store for up to 3 months.

To reheat… Thaw the sauce overnight in the refrigerator or thaw partially in the microwave. Warm in a covered saucepan over medium-law heat for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta. Spoon the sauce over it and sprinkle with Parmesan.