Ragù bolognese
MAKES ABOUT 8 SERVINGS.
15
minPrep
Time
4
hr, 30Cook
Time
4
hr, 45Total
Time
INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup [1/2 stick] butter
1 large yellow onion,
finely and evenly diced
4 small (or 2 very large) carrots finely diced
4 stalks celery heart (or 2 large celery stalks) finely diced
4 garlic cloves, very finely diced
3 oz diced pancetta (¼-inch cubes, I found it in the deli
section already diced from Boars Head)
Kosher
salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 lb. lean ground meat (blend of
veal, pork and beef – or just beef)
1 cup dry white wine (like a Chardonnay)
2 cups [500 ml] milk
1 28-oz [828 ml] can
whole San Marzano tomatoes, diced (both the liquid and the tomatoes)
1/2 can (14 oz.) Crushed Tomatoes
1 cup [250 ml] beef stock
Directions:
Heat
the butter and the oil together in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the
butter is melted and the saucepan is hot, add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic
and a good pinch of salt (about ½ tsp [2.5 ml]) and sauté for 5 minutes,
stirring often. Add the diced pancetta and cook for a further 10 minutes, until
vegetables are softened and pancetta is golden. Increase the heat to high and add
the meat a third at a time, stirring and breaking lumps with a
spoon between each addition. Adding the meat gradually allows its liquid to
evaporate – which is key if you want to brown your meat and not boil it. After
the last addition, when no pink can be spotted in the meat and no lumps remain,
set a timer to 15 minutes. You want your meat to caramelize and even become
crispy in spots. More liquids will evaporate and flavors will concentrate. You
want golden bits of meat to stick to the bottom of your pan, which will be deglazed later. Watch
over your pan as you
don’t want the meat to burn! When you see some serious caramelization action
happening, lower heat to medium to reach the end of the 15-minute sautéing time.
Over
medium heat, pour the white wine into the sauce pan. With a wooden spoon,
scrape all the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Push the meat all
around to make sure you scrape it all off. By the time you’re finished, the
wine will be evaporated (2-3 minutes). Be careful not to let the meat stick
again (lower the heat if necessary).
Add
milk, diced tomatoes and their liquid, beef stock, 1 tsp salt and a good
grinding of black pepper. Bring to a boil and then lower to the lowest heat and
let simmer very slowly, half-covered, for 4 hours. Stir once in a while. If
your sauce starts sticking before the end of your cooking time, lower the heat
(if possible) and/or add a bit of stock or water. In the end, the sauce should
be thick, more oil- than water-based and thick like oatmeal. Adjust the
seasoning one last time – don’t be afraid of adding more salt (tasting each
time you add some), it is this recipe’s key seasoning. Simmer the bolognese sauce very slowly, half-covered,
for 4 hours on the lowest heat possible
To serve:
A few dabs of butter on top
Freshly grated
parmigiano-reggiano
Note: Finely dice the onion,
carrot and celery to make a basic soffritto - and to end up with a better sauce
texture too.
Special Notes:
* In 1982, the Academia
Italiana della Cucina officially registered the recipe with
the Bologna Chamber of Commerce. The classic recipe must contain: onions,
celery, carrots, pancetta, ground beef, tomatoes, milk and white wine.
Ingredient notes:
·
Onion, celery, carrots: Dice everything evenly in small ¼-inch dices. The size
uniformity of these ingredients will allow them to cook evenly and will produce
a more enjoyable texture. By the way, this combination of ingredients, cooked
in olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper, is called a soffritto and
is the base of many Italian dishes.
·
Tomatoes are not a main ingredient in the sauce
– you add a bit of it for taste but it is a meat sauce, first and foremost.
·
