|
|
Photo © Eatzybitzy |
Ragu alla Bolognese
Bolognese Ragu
Ingredients |
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground veal
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 small carrot, diced fine
1 small onion, diced fine
1 center rib celery, diced fine
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 can (35 ozs.) San Marzano tomatoes with liquid
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
|
|
Preparation |
How to make the Ragu alla bolognese:
1 Place the beef and veal in a heavy 4 quart Dutch oven.
Place the pan over low heat. Cook, stirring to break up the meat into
small pieces, until the meat is a uniform grayish color. Transfer to a
bowl.
2 Increase the heat to medium and add the butter. Heat until the butter is
bubbling. Stir in the carrot, onion and celery. Stir until the vegetables
are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and boil until reduced to 2
tablespoons.
3 Return the meat to the pan. Add the tomatoes and their liquid and stir
to break them up. Heat to simmering. Adjust the heat so only one or two
bubbles rise to the surface at a time. (Long, slow cooking is essential.)
Cook, stirring occasionally-more frequently as the sauce thickens-until
the sauce is very thick, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. halfway through the
cooking, season sparingly with salt and pepper.
The finished ragu alla bolognese sauce should be more like very small pieces of meat bound
with a thick tomato mixture than like a tomato sauce flecked with piece of
meat. Adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper to taste
Serves 6
 Regional variations of the original authentic recipe from Bologna:
Some Piedmontse cooks add to the ragu alla bolognese 100 to 200 ml. cream just before the end of
the cooking time (reduce hot milk by half). Heavenly and heavily caloric.
(Try it once, anyway!)
To a quantity of Tomato Sauce Napolitana, add the equivalent amount of
this ragù. You will have the version commonly known OUTSIDE of Bologna as
Bolognese Sauce. Add more oregano and basil as necessary to adjust taste.
Simmer for half an hour.
The ragu alla bolognese sauces known in North America are versions favored by the
main groups of immigrants from Italy - from Napoli, Rome and Sicily and
reflect their versions using a tomato sauce base which stretches the meat
and uses far less ingredients.
|
1997-2010 © Enrico Massetti
TangoItalia - Food, Wine, Travel, and... tango in Italy. | contact us | leave your comments
|
|
|
