Ragù Bolognese
(Italian tomato-meat sauce)
Image by Wikipedia: Ivan Vighetto
Ragù bolognese is a good Sunday dinner dish. Its long simmering is perfect for a lazy day. Serve this rich meat sauce over tagliatelle, rigatoni or penne or as a lasagne filling. One thing the residents of Bologna never do is serve bolognese sauce over spaghetti.
4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
- Olive oil -- 2 tablespoons
- Butter -- 2 tablespoons
- Onion, chopped -- 1
- Carrot, chopped -- 2
- Celery, chopped -- 1 stalk
- Ground beef -- 1 pound
- Salt and pepper -- to season
- Milk -- 1 cup
- Nutmeg -- pinch
- Tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped -- 2 cups
- Dry white wine -- 1 cup
Method
- In a large pot, heat the oil and butter over medium flame. Add the onion, carrot and celery and sauté until the onion is translucent. Add the ground beef and season with a little salt and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring to break up meat, until the beef is cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Pour in the milk and nutmeg and simmer over medium-low heat until the liquid is mostly reduced, 10 to 20 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and white wine and continue to simmer on very low heat for anywhere from 1 to 4 hours. The longer you simmer the better the flavor will become. Add a little water as necessary. Toss with pasta and serve.
Ragù Bolognese Variations
- Use 1/3 pound ground pork and 2/3 pound ground beef for better flavor.
- Two cups of canned tomatoes or 1/4 cup tomato paste may be substituted for the fresh, chopped tomatoes.
