Ragù alla Bolognese
We decided to start with this because it’s our family’s most important recipe. Every house in Bologna has its own variation of ragù. Each recipe is considered “correct” by its respective creators, while all others are classified somewhere between blasphemous and ludicrous. This is my mother’s family recipe, which she learned from her grandmother, and, which she will gladly tell you, is exceedingly “correct.” While I can’t claim its absolute victory over all those other ragùs floating around Bologna, with their milk or veal additions, I can tell you that this is ours, and that it’s delicious. It’s simple, special, and a little guarded.
There are only a few things that mostly everyone in the city of Bologna can agree on. 1. Ragu is served on egg-based fresh pastas, in lasagne, or even on polenta, but NEVER on spaghetti (sorry to the entire UK for that piece of info). 2. The meat is the star of this sauce, and while the tomato adds brightness and sweetness, it shouldn't be the dominating factor. Our recipe skews high on the acceptable amount of tomato spectrum, so when you're cooking, feel free to reduce. 3. The sauce, when served, should amount to just enough to coat the pasta plus a small extra dollop on top. When I see the poor pasta being crushed and smothered by a heavy, suffocating blanket of sauce, my soul crushes a little too. Save the extra sauce and serve it over polenta later in the week.
I’ll leave you with one last cookery note. After I wrote this post, I called my mom for her take. Everything was right, except, she scolded, I hadn’t stressed the importance of allowing each of the ingredients in the sofritto (the pork, vegetables and then meat) to fry independently, so that they brown and develop flavor before adding the next ingredient. “Sofritto MEANS suo fritto, honey” (or his fry in english) she chided, “you’re missing the fundamental point!” In an effort NOT to miss the fundamental point, there you go, straight from Silvia’s mouth. Give each ingredient his (or HER) own fry-time. That’s just about as bossy as I can get for one post, so enjoy and happy cooking!
SERVING DETAILS
Makes 6 Servings. Make with tagliatelle, our recipe or a good quality store-bought version. Serve with freshly grated parmesan.
INGREDIENTS
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil & salt
- 150 grams of cured pork fat finely minced (i.e. pancetta or streaky salt pork preferably, but you can use thick-cut unsmoked bacon)
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 ribs of celery, finely diced
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 300 grams ground beef (highest fat quantity available, 15% fat or more)
- **optional** 100 grams chicken livers, finely minced
- ½ cup of red wine
- 1 14oz can of whole, peeled tomatoes with no added spices (San Marzano preferable)
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
METHOD
- Heat a large french oven-style pot over med or med/low heat. Add minced pork and allow fat to render and meat to turn a light golden brown. Stir frequently and adjust heat to avoid over-browning.
- Add each of the vegetables (onion, celery and then carrots) one at a time and in that order, allowing each to cook until softened (about 4 - 6 minutes, the onions should be translucent not browned), before adding the next vegetable. Stir frequently and adjust heat as needed. With each vegetable addition, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt to taste, depending on how salty the pork base was.
- Turn the heat up slightly and add the ground beef (and chicken livers if desired), allowing meat to cook and brown for approximately 4-5 minutes.
- Add ½ a cup of red wine and cook until it no longer smells of alcohol (approximately 2-3 minutes)
- In the meantime, add tomatoes and juices to a bowl and using your hands, crush the whole tomatoes.
- Add the tomatoes and 1 can-full of water and reduce heat to low, bringing the ragù to a gentle simmer. Add salt to taste.
- Cover and cook for 1 ½ - 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes or so to ensure there is no sticking at the bottom of the pan. If the mixture starts to stick, add a little more water and make sure that the heat is gentle.
- After 1 hour, add tomato paste.
- The ragù is finished when it has reduced and thickened (but is not dry), turns a darker reddish brown, and the oil begins to separate and pool around the edges of the pan. Turn heat off and cover until the pasta is ready.
- Cook the pasta per instructions, adding the cooked pasta directly into the ragù pot on a low heat, gently tossing to coat.
- Plate the pasta and spoon a little of the extra ragu at the bottom of the pan on top of each bowl. Serve with freshly grated parmesan.
