by Andrea
In the last issue I shared the homemade pasta recipe, promising that I would have also shared its perfect pairing: Bolognese ragout. With one of my grandmas coming from Bologna, I have been cooking ragout since when I was a kid and this is definitely one of my favourite pastime during rainy days. Bolognese Ragout is slow treat, making it takes time, dedication and care and it is exactly this that makes it special. That’s why I would suggest to prepare this when you are not in a rush and can enjoy the sound made by the sauce while it is cooking in the pot.
1 onion or 1/2 of a big onion
2 big carrots
1 celery stem
2 rosemary springs
2 bay leaves
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – needed for the mirepoix
400 gr beef mince meat
100 gr pork mince meat (or 1 plain pork sausage, the only ingredients should be meat, salt and pepper)
Salt q.s.
Sugar 1 tsp
Plain tomato sauce 1L (choose the most basic one, it shouldn’t have any basil/oregano/onion/etc.. the sauce ingredients should be only tomato and salt)
Butter tbsp or 1/3 glass of fresh milk
1/2 glass of red wine
Chop the onion, carrots and celery – I personally like them chopped in pretty big pieces, but this is up to you – and put them all in a pot with warm extra virgin olive oil and a couple of rosemary sprinkles.
Cook the mirepoix for a few minutes with medium heat – covering the pot with a lid – and once the ingredients become soft (not crunchy) you add the beef mince meat and the pork mince meat, mixing it all together with other ingredients in order to get it all well blended.
Add the red wine to the mix, raise the heat, keep stirring and wait for the wine’s alcohol to evaporate.
Add the tomato sauce. While you keep stirring, add a teaspoon of sugar, salt q.s. and the bay leaves.
Cook the ragout with low heat for at least 2 hours – the more it goes the better it gets – stirring it on and off.
30 minutes before the ragout is ready, add a couple of spoons of milk or a bit of butter in the sauce and stir.
PS : You can use it for your lasagna, handmade pasta, short pasta or even over bread..
