Chili Bolognese with White Beans and Crème Fraîche - Wishbone Kitchen

Chop your onion, carrot, celery and garlic in a food processor into a very fine dice. Heat a large heavy bottom pot over medium high. Pat the beef dry with paper towels and thoroughly season with salt and pepper. Add a tbsp of olive oil to the pot and brown the beef in batches. No need to cook the beef all the way through at this point, we just want to get some caramelization on the surface, it will finish cooking in the soup later. Once you’ve browned the beef, remove it from the pot and set aside on a paper towel lined plate. Discard the remaining beef fat left in the pot, but leaving any fond (so drain the fat but don’t scrub away any of the good crusty bits from the beef, that’s flavor town). Next, add your pancetta or bacon and cook on low until the fat has almost completely rendered, about 10 minutes. Add the chopped vegetables, a pinch of salt and pepper and increase the heat back to medium high. Cook until the moisture has almost completely evaporated, 5-7 minutes, scrapping the fond off the bottom of the pot. Add the tomato paste and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Next, add back the beef and the wine. Reduce heat to medium low and start breaking up any large pieces of beef with a wooden spoon until the consistency is fine and uniform throughout. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until the wine has almost evaporated completely. Add the beans, chicken stock, heavy cream, crushed tomato, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring everything to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 2 hours (trust me, its worth it!) stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot every 10 minutes or so. At this point, you could transfer everything to a slow cooker and set it to high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours if you prefer. After your chili has simmered, taste for salt and adjust. I always adjust the salt levels of a soup after it's simmered because the flavors will intensify when it cooks and you dont want to over season. Remove the bay leaves, and it’s ready to serve. Garnish with a dollop of crème fraîche and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.