At a certain point, you have to give up on the idea of having a traditional family. Or any family at all, in some cases. And so it goes with the traditional holiday meals. This is what I used to make at Christmas, for the tattered remains of my family. Now, it's the dish I make for people I consider my (non-related) family. It is everything I want to be as a cook: generous, comforting, rich and simple, loving and sublime. And while I'm at it, everything I'd like to be as person, too. Family, food, ourselves: a work in progress, always. I created this dish many years ago, cherry picking what I liked from a Mario Batali recipe and a Mark Bittman recipe. It's richer and longer cooked, as I recall, than either of the originals. I add more dairy pretty late in the game. And I messed around with the proportions of beef/veal/pork. I'm not crazy about tomato paste. You can use really good bacon instead of pancetta if you'd like; I use scissors to mince bacon, and so should you. <br />

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