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1
Make the ragu: Put the garlic, celery, onions and fennel in a food processor and puree to make a coarse paste.
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2
Coat a wide, deep pan with the olive oil and put over medium-high heat.
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3
Add the pureed veggies and season with salt; cook until all the liquid has evaporated and the veggies begin to stick to the pan-you want to brown the crap out of these guys until crud starts to form on the bottom of the pan.
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4
Stir occasionally to scrape up the browned bits, then let the crud form again.
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5
Be patient here and don't rush it: This is where the big flavor develops; it will take up to 30 minutes.
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6
When the lovely brown crud has formed and been scraped down a couple of times, stir in the tomato paste.
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7
Let it start to brown a little, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes.
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8
There's not much liquid at this point to keep things from burning, so move fast: Add the wine, stir to combine and scrape up any remaining browned bits.
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9
Cook until about half of the wine has evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes.
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10
Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned, 10 to 15 minutes.
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11
(This is where another round of big flavor is formed, so take your time.)
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12
Add enough water to cover the meat by about 1/2 inch.
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13
Stir to combine well, then add the bay leaves and thyme bundle.
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14
Taste, season with salt and taste again; it's by no means done, but it should taste good.
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15
Bring the sauce to a boil (BTB) and reduce to a simmer (RTS).
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16
Continue cooking for 3 hours, tasting, seasoning and adding more water as needed.
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17
Discard the bay leaves and thyme.
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18
Meanwhile, make the pickled onions: Combine the vinegar, 1/2 cup cold water, the sugar, 1 tablespoon salt and the hot sauce in a bowl.
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19
Add the sliced onion and let sit, at least 1 hour.
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20
Drain.
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21
Assemble the nachos: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread a layer of tortilla chips on an ovenproof platter.
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22
Top with a layer of the ragu and cover with the parmigiano and fontina cheeses.
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23
Bake until the cheeses melt, 5 to 10 minutes.
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24
Meanwhile, mix the chopped chipotle, adobo sauce and mascarpone in a bowl.
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25
Sprinkle the arugula over the nachos and finish with dollops of the chipotle mascarpone and the pickled onions.
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26
A gooey cheesy treat.
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27
Delish.
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28
Photograph by Con Poulos
