Fresh Tomato Bolognese Ragu

From the garden

• 4 lb ripe tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped, juice and all · paste types cook down fastest; any ripe slicer works
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped

From the pantry

• 1½ lb ground beef · 80/20 for the best flavor
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup dry red wine
• ¾ cup whole milk
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup beef stock · only if the sauce gets too thick before the meat is tender
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 lb tagliatelle or rigatoni
• ½ cup Parmesan, grated · plus more at the table
• salt · to taste
• black pepper · to taste

1. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium. Add the onion, carrot, and celery with a pinch of salt and cook slowly, stirring now and then, 10–12 minutes, until very soft and sweet but not browned.
2. Raise the heat to medium-high, add the ground beef, and break it up with a spoon. Cook 8–10 minutes until no pink remains and the liquid it releases has cooked away and the meat is starting to sizzle and brown. Season with salt, pepper, and the nutmeg.
3. Pour in the wine and simmer, scraping the bottom, until it has almost fully evaporated, 5–6 minutes. Add the milk and do the same: cook until it is absorbed and the meat looks creamy, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the tomato paste, then add all the chopped tomatoes and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then lower to the gentlest simmer, with just an occasional bubble breaking the surface.
5. Cook uncovered 2 hours, stirring every 15–20 minutes and scraping the bottom. The tomatoes will collapse, the skins will soften into the sauce, and the whole thing will darken from red to brick and thicken so a spoon leaves a clear trail. If it thickens before the two hours are up, add stock a splash at a time. Fish out the bay leaf and taste for salt.
6. Boil the pasta in well-salted water until just shy of tender. Drain, keeping a cup of the water, and toss the pasta with about two thirds of the ragu and a splash of pasta water over low heat for a minute so it clings. Serve with the rest of the sauce spooned on top and Parmesan over everything.