My Christmas Tree and My Bolognese

 My tree is up and decorated.  My decorating mojo is off this year.  I haven't totally figured out why but it's done and it will do for this year.  My tree is a bit thinner than usual but it's made it a lot easier to water.

 The leaning tree on the mantel has been straightened too.  I'm not having any major parties here over Xmas so it's okay to go light on the decorations this year.

 I saw this idea on tv a few days ago and thought it was wonderful.  So, each day I place a basket of treats on my front porch for the delivery people and postperson to help themselves.

 I am having a big New Year's Day party though. I am going with a comfort food theme for everyone that might be a bit hungover and for almost everyone that is ready to start a New Year's diet.  A comfort food blowout.  One of the dishes will be my lasagna, so I made and froze the bolognese a couple days ago.

I always start by frying some bacon.  I used Benton's Tennessee hickory smoked bacon.  This is my favorite bacon for hearty dishes.  It is very smokey so it works well in a bolognese. I sauteed some cubed pancetta too.  Reserve the grease in the pot.

 Add a few anchovies to the bacon grease and cook until they dissolve.

 Add a large diced onion and cook for a few minutes and then add some diced celery, red and green peppers and carrots.

 Add 1 lb. Italian sausage and 1 lb. pork sausage.  Break it up as it cooks.  Add some thyme, rosemary, black pepper, oregano and salt.

 Add a couple lbs. of ground beef.

 Pulse the bacon and pancetta in your food processor. I always add some pepperoni too.  Flavor, flavor and more flavor.  Bolognese is all about layering and depth of flavor.

 Look at all of this goodness and I haven't even started to add the tomatoes.

 I soak dried mushrooms and strained, them saving the juice.  Pulse the mushrooms and add them to the sauce.  I use about a cup.  Add the strained mushroom juice to the pot.

 Add a cup or two of a hearty red wine.

 I freeze the rinds of my aged cheeses and always add a few to this sauce. They will add lots of flavor and you just fish them out at the end.

 Add tomato paste.  The amount depends on how much you are making.  For this recipe, I added 2 cans.

 Add about 5 large cans of crushed tomatoes and stir thoroughly.

 I add an entire head of garlic shredded.  It is shredded so fine that it dissolves in the sauce, leaving a rich flavor which mellows as it cooks.  Place the vat of sauce in a 300 degree oven and let it cook for about 4 hours.  Cook it uncovered so it condenses and thickens.

 Mmmmm.....and just to add a bit more flavor and richness, I added some of my homemade garlic butter.  Add freshly minced parsley too.

 Lasagna is so dense and full of flavor sucking ingredients that it needs a hearty sauce to enliven it. 

A robust bolognese is the best choice.  This lasagna will launch people happily into 2020.