Matt’s Ragu Bolognese
Recipe Description
This is a very traditional style bolognese recipe, which differs in thickness and depth of flavor from most of the meat or bolognese sauces served in restaurants around here.
It also makes a great meat base for lasagne or stuffed into manicotti.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 pound bacon, coarsley chopped
- 1/2 cup medium-diced carrots
- 1/4 cup medium-diced celery
- 1/4 cup medium-diced onion
- 3 pounds ground beef
- 2 pounds ground pork
- 3/4 cup white wine
- Two 6-oz cans tomato paste
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
1. Heat oil and bacon together in a large saucepan (I use a dutch oven) over medium heat until the bacon is light brown, stirring constantly.
2. Add carrots and celery and stir until they take on color. Add the onions and cook briefly.
3. Add the beef and pork and cook until they brown, stirring constantly. Add the wine and continue to stir until partially evaporated.
4. Stir in the tomato paste. Then add salt, pepper, nutmeg, and garlic. Stir until well combined and cook for 45 minutes on low heat. Finish with cream, cooking a few minutes to amalgamate and heat thoroughly.
Notes/Comments
Pasta, Spaghetti, Ragu, Bolognese, Italian
This is a fairly forgiving recipe and you are welcome to make substitutions. I sometimes add more bacon or swap bacon for pancetta (my family prefers bacon). I also vary the meats, but I would never, ever in any recipe use ground chicken, which is a crime against humanity and human decency. I adapted this recipe from Donalado Soviero’s La Vera Cucina Italiana (now out of print). In his recipe he uses veal and beef. The recipe I’ve given makes a very thick sauce – sloppy joe or chili thick.
This recipe is designed to be placed on top of plated spaghetti and then drizzled with olive oil. If you want to mix the spaghetti and bolognese before plating, as you would with a Aglio e Olio or Salsa di Pomodoro you might consider thinning the sauce with tomato sauce. Be careful, though. You don’t want to dilute the bolognese too much.
Finally, I like nuteg and it is a key ingredient in many traditional Italian recipes, such as butternut squash ravioli, but it is not to everyones taste, so you could potentially eliminate it for fussy eaters.
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