Ingredients
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500 g Minced beef
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50 g Butteror ghee
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1 tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil
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150 g Carrot
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150 g Celery root
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1 pcs Onionmedium-sized
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200 ml Milk
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200 ml White wine
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1 pinch of Nutmeg
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600 g Italian canned tomatoswhole, peeled
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50 g Parsley rootoptionally
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to taste Salt
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to taste Grounded black pepper
Directions
Ragù alla Bolognese is one of the most known meat-based sauces in the world. The sauce originates from Bologna, Italy.
It’s interesting that on the menu we often see spaghetti Bolognese, which doesn’t actually exist in traditional Italian cuisine. The thing is that Italians developed recommendations on matching pasta shapes with pasta sauces. According to them ragù alla Bolognese cannot be paired with spaghetti because of its shape – the sauce slips right off.
Ragù alla Bolognese has become so popular that there are now thousands of its variations, and some of them are too different from the original one. That’s why on October 17, 1982 Accademia Italiana della Cucina registered the classic recipe for ragù alla Bolognese in order to protect it as part of the cultural heritage of Italy.
I suggest you make ragù alla Bolognese to Marcella Hazan’s (a legendary Italian-born cooking writer) recipe that adheres to the principles of the traditinal one.
Tips and tricks:
- Beef mince shouldn’t be too lean, otherwise you’ll end up with not sweet enough ragu.
- Add salt right after you added mince to make sure that the beef gives all its juices and taste to sauce.
- Cook beef in milk before adding wine and tomatoes to protect it from sourness and keep it tender.
- Simmer uncovered for quite a while, at least 3 h.
The recipe’s from Marcella Hazan’s book “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking”.
For dairy-free version please skip the step with milk.
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Steps
1
Done
15 min
|
PREPARE VEGETABLESCut the onion, carrot, celery and parsley root into small cubes (0,5х0,5cm). |
2
Done
10 min
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ADD MEATTo the vegetables, add the minced beef and season with a fair amount of salt. Cook until the mince is browned. Note! Add salt in the beginning to make sure that the beef gives all its juices. |
3
Done
4 min
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ADD MILKAdd the milk and cook stirring over medium heat (a boil should be quite vigorous, but make sure not to burn) until the milk is evaporated (for 3-4 min). The milk stage protects the meat from wine and tomato sourness, and keeps it tender. Add a pinch of nutmeg in the end. |
4
Done
2 min
|
ADD WINEAdd the wine and cook stirring over medium heat (a boil should be quite vigorous, but make sure not to burn) until the alcohol is evaporated (approx. 2 min). |
5
Done
3 h
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ADD TOMATOES AND KEEP COOKINGAdd the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook uncovered for at least 3 h, stirring occasionally. Each time when you see that the sauce gets thick – add some boiling water. The sauce is done when the fat starts to separate from the sauce and sticks on the sides of the pan. |
6
Done
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SERVE AND KEEPServe be dressing tagliatelle with or use for lasagna and other foods. Sprinkle with ground black pepper and parmesan to serve. The sauce keeps well in the fridge for about 3 days. It freezes well, too; to serve after freezing, defrost first and then cook for 2 min in a pan with 1 tbsp olive oil to deliver its taste and fragrance to the full. |