Welcome to Pasta A-Z where I’m making pasta dishes from every letter of the alphabet. Today is “B” for Bolognese (or Ragù). This is a meat sauce from Bologna. It’s different than the typical meat sauce we know because the meat to tomato ratio is higher, so there’s much more meat than tomatoes.
INGREDIENTS
-Celery
-Carrots
-Onion
-Butter*
-Ground meat**
-Tomato paste
-Red wine
-Crushed tomatoes
-Whole milk
-Pappardelle***
-Optional: grated parm and parsley
*If you’re like me you’re used to olive oil when making Italian food (aka southern Italian), but in Bologna they use butter, not oil. I recommend splurging for the good butter here, it’s all about the Kerrygold.
**I used a mixture of beef and pork which is pretty common, but if you can get your hands on some ground veal that’s pretty delicious too.
***Pappardelle or tagliatelle are great with Bolognese, but as always, used whatever pasta your heart desires.
DIRECTIONS
-In a dutch oven, sauté celery, carrot, and onion in butter. In a separate pan brown the meat in butter. Season both with salt and pepper.
-When the onions and celery are soft add tomato paste. Mix it together then add the meat (use a slotted spoon to drain the fat).
-Add red wine and crushed tomatoes. Add the tomatoes slowly so you don’t add too much. It’s easier to add more after than it is to take it out (a lesson I have learned the hard way many times).
-Season with salt and pepper. Add a splash of water then bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down a bit and cover. Cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally (I know that’s super long but trust me it’s worth it).
-When its the right consistency (if you’re not sure watch the video below), add a splash of whole milk to make it nice and creamy.
-Toss your pasta in the sauce. Dish it out and optionally add some grated parm and parsley.
-Enjoy!
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chef grc 