Absurdity surrounds us every day. The absurd co-worker; the absurd driver who cut you off; the seemingly stupid arguments between two people who clearly are in love but feel the uncontrollable need to disagree with passion. “Absurdism” is that clash between the human tendency to seek some inherent meaning in the universe and the human impossibility of finding that meaning. So to, we cook the same dish over and over again, not just because it was really good the first time, but because we seek to find meaning in making it better.

Bolognese was not my favorite dish until I had made it several times, and with the precision of a neurosurgeon – after several fatalities – brought back to life the world’s foremost icon of true comfort food.

SECRET INGREDIENT: rind of a good aged parmigiano reggiano

Bolognese

• Olive oil
• 1 lb spicy chicken sausage, casings removed and crumbled (by hand)
• 1 lb lean ground pork
• Pancetta, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• ½ cup carrot, chopped
• ½ cup celery, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 1 ½ cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• 1 piece parmigiano rind
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Salt and fresh ground pepper
• Fresh parsley