Ragu alla Bolognese
Pork Veal Italian Sauces and Salsa
Although every region of Italy has its own version of ragu, this recipe is for the most famous one, ragu alla Bolognese. It takes about 3 hours to prepare, but only this way will you get a sauce with an intense flavor - the flavor that made this sauce so renowned.
Normally beef is used, but if you prefer, you can use a mix of beef and pork, which is what I did. And if you're wondering why there's milk in this dish, the original recipe actually calls for it, because it serves two purposes: it tenderizes the meat during cooking (especially necessary if using only beef), and it reduces the acidity of the tomato sauce while accentuating the sweetness of the meat. Also, notice that the proportion of tomatoes used in the sauce is small - don't confuse ragu alla Bolognese with ragu alla Napoletana (another famous ragu), which indeed uses a much larger amount of tomatoes.
The meat sauce can be served over pasta (tagliatelle or spaghetti) or used in lasagna.
Ingredients
600 g ground beef (or beef and pork mix; ideally add beef brisket to the ground beef as it has the best flavor)
1 medium onion
1 large carrot
3 celery stalks
50 g pancetta (cured but unsmoked ham)
50 g homemade sausage (optional)
50 ml dry white wine
1 pinch cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1 level teaspoon pepper
1 cup passata (or 2 tablespoons tomato paste dissolved in a cup of water)
2 cups chicken or beef broth
1 cup milk
1 level teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
How to prepare ragu alla bolognese
- Cut the onion, carrot, and celery into small cubes. Add them to the heated butter and oil and saute for about 10 minutes over lower heat until well softened. This is what Italians call soffritto.
- Add the ground meat and cubed pancetta and cook until the released liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes over medium heat. If desired, add the finely chopped or fork-crushed sausage now and continue cooking until the meat starts to brown, about 15 minutes. Deglaze with white wine and let it evaporate.
- Season the mixture with cinnamon, nutmeg, and pepper, then pour in the passata and 2 cups of chicken/beef broth. Mix well and let it simmer on low heat (just enough to gently bubble) for 1 hour. Stir every 15-20 minutes.
* At this point, the mixture will seem quite liquid, but that's okay - it will reduce sufficiently in the hours of cooking that follow. - Add the milk and salt, mix well, and continue simmering for another 1 1/2 hours on low heat. Don't forget to stir every 15-20 minutes, especially after the ragu reduces, to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Vegetables diced
Sauteing the vegetables
Adding the passata...
And broth over the meat
After one hour, add the milk
Ragu
