Bolognese with Orecchiette

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons Olive oil
• 2 ounces bacon
• 2 small onions
• 2 finely chopped carrots
• 1 stalk finely chopped celery
• 3 lbs ground beef
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 1/2 cups red wine
• 1 can crushed tomato
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 lb Orecchiette pasta
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. In a large frying pan warm the oil and add the bacon. Sauté until it begins to render its fat about 1 minute. Add the onions, carrots and celery and saute until the onions are soft. Add the beef and cook the meat until it is is no longer pink about 10 minutes. Transfer to a slow cooker. Add the broth and wine to the pan and bring the heat up to high. Deglaze the pan and pour the liquid into the slow cooker along with the tomatoes. Stir everything together.
2. Cover and cook the sauce on the high-heat setting for 4 hours or the low-heat setting for 8 hours. Add the milk to combine and continue cooking another 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons salt and the pasta. Cook stirring occasionally until Al Dente. Drain, add to pot and toss with the sauce. Serve with Parmesan on the side.