Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons butter plus 1 tablespoon for tossing pasta
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ⅔ cup chopped celery
• ⅔ cup chopped carrot
• ¾ pound pork, beef, and veal mix
• 1 cup whole milk
• Whole nutmeg
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1½ cups diced San Marzano
• 1¼ to 1½ pounds pasta (Tagliatelle)
• Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese at the table
• Salt
• Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill

Notes

• Add salt immediately when sautéing the meat to extract its juices for the subsequent benefit of the sauce.
• Cook the meat in milk before adding wine and tomatoes to protect it from the acidic bite of the latter.
• Use a pot that retains heat. Earthenware is preferred in Bologna and by most cooks in Emilia-Romagna, but enameled cast-iron pans or a pot whose heavy bottom is composed of layers of steel alloys are fully satisfactory.
• Cook no less than three hours for best results!