Pasta with Turkey Ragu Sauce

Bacardi1 Pasta with Turkey Ragu Sauce

(adapted from The Classic Pasta Cookbook by Giuliano Hazan (son of famous Italian Chef Marcella Hazan)

Approx. 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small or half a medium/large yellow onion, peeled & chopped
1 carrot, peeled & finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 package (around a pound or so) ground turkey
1 cup dry white or dry red wine (Pinot Grigio, Chabilis, Red Burgundy, Chianti, & Merlot all work well)
½ cup milk or ½ & ½
A few dashes of grated nutmeg
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
Approx. 1 tablespoon dried oregano or dried Italian Seasoning (or 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Oregano) .
Approx. ½ cup chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
One 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes, undrained
Freshly grated Parmesan &/or Romano cheese for serving.
1 pound cooked pasta (wide pastas like Tagliatelle & Pappardelle, or short ones like Rigatoni or Fusilli work well with this sauce), tossed with 2 tablespoons of butter

* In a saucepan deep enough to hold all sauce ingredients, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in the olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Saute onion, carrot, & celery until just starting to soften, & add ground turkey, breaking it up as it cooks. Continue cooking until meat is browned. Add the wine & continue cooking for a few minutes. Add the milk & the nutmeg & continue cooking until most of the milk has evaporated. Add the tomatoes, & using kitchen scissors or a wooden spoon, cut them up into roughly bite-size pieces in the pan. Add parsley, oregano, & crushed red pepper flakes if using. Turn the heat down to low & simmer until sauce has reached your desired thickness – some like it thinner; some like it thicker. Taste for seasoning & serve over your pasta of choice (or toss with the hot pasta before serving) with a sprinkling of freshly-grated Parmesan if desired.

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