From New York Times cooking with a few tweaks
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Feeds: 4 people
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 oz pancetta, diced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 8 ounces elbow pasta
- 5 slices American cheese, ripped into small piece
- 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup hot sauce, like Smoky Aardvark or a Louisiana hot sauce
- 1/2 cup chives, finely chopped
Directions: Heat a large sautée pan or Dutch oven over medium-low heat and add pancetta to render. Once rendered and crispy, remove the pancetta from the pan (leaving the fat behind) and set aside until later. Add the neutral oil and onion, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper. The hot sauce added later on will add a lot of flavor, so be careful not to overseason here. Let cook until the onions turn light beige in color and begin to caramelize. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
Increase the heat to medium-high and add the ground beef, breaking up the meat into smaller pieces. Continue to cook until the liquid has mostly evaporated and the meat starts to sear and develop a crust on the bottom of the pan. Carefully drain off most of the fat. Leaving a little bit behind is totally fine as it keeps the meat moist. Next, add the white wine, allowing it to reduce until the mixture is almost dry.
Add the chicken stock, heavy cream, paprika, and bay leaf to the pan or mix until combined and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente, stirring often. When the noodles are cooked to your liking, remove from the heat and stir in both types of cheese, stirring until completely melted and the sauce is thickened. At this point, you can add your hot sauce and stir in the chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.