Ragu

Ragu

(Meat Sauce)

Ragu with homemade Pasta

As a boy, my first introduction to Italian food was probably through the infamous "Spaghetti Bolognese." The long strands of pasta covered in a rich tomato sauce with beef mince and usually a few mushrooms (although, my mam would always remove them from mine!) always got me very excited and remains one of my favourite dishes today. It still imparts that warm, comforting feeling, especially when served with some Garlic Bread and a nice sprinkling of Parmesan Cheese.

As I began to start cooking, it was with great surprise that I learned that "Spaghetti Bolognese" does not exist in Italy and is more of a British/American adaption of an Italian classic. I began to look for more traditional Italian recipes and it was then that I realised that we have it all wrong. In this part of the world the Ragu is a tomato sauce containing meat, it should be a meat sauce containing tomato. The pasta should not be Spaghetti, the long strands cannot hold onto a meat sauce properly, try Tagliatelle or even Pappardelle instead, it holds together much better. Penne could also be substituted instead as the tubes are great for holding the meat!

Having made this dish more than any other, I've tried numerous recipes and techniques and this is the recipe I've come up with to take the best of them all and give a delicious, rich Ragu. The use of the two different meats is extremely common in Italy and really enhances the flavour while the addition of cream right at the end brings out the richness of this wonderful sauce. Enjoy!

Serves 4

*4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Ragu topped with Parmesan

*1/2 Onion (finely chopped)

*1 Carrot (finely chopped)

*1 Stick Celery (finely chopped)

*5 Streaky Rashers (chopped)

*350g Pork Mince

*350g Stewing Beef

*180ml Red Wine

*600g Ripe Tomatoes (crushed)

*2 Bay Leaves

*125ml Cream

*Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

To Serve:

*550g Tagliatelle/Pappardelle (cooked al dente)

*3 Ciabatta Rolls (cut into chunks)

*Parmesan Cheese (freshly grated)

Ragu alla Bolognese in Bologna

1. Saute the Onion, Carrot and Celery in the Oil over medium heat for 7 minutes or until soft. Add the Rashers and brown before adding the rest of the meat. Season well with Salt and Pepper and brown well, stirring all the time.

2. Add the Red Wine and allow to evaporate before adding the Tomatoes. Stir well and season. Cover and simmer for 15-20 mins, stirring occasionally, until the Tomatoes begin to break down.

3. Add the Bay Leaves and stir well. Cover and simmer for 2-3 hours on a low heat, stirring occasionally. Add the Cream and stir, remove the Bay Leaves. Add the Pasta to the saucepan and return to the heat for 1 minute stirring constantly.

4. Serve with plenty of Grated Parmesan sprinkled on top and with plenty of good Ciabatta to mop up the sauce.

Variations

This works as a great base recipe to add plenty of your own ideas to. It's not very traditional but I love to add some chopped sweet peppers with the veg at the start and sometimes a red chilli can give it some real depth. The addition of a teaspoon or two of worcestershire sauce can also add alot and lets not forget the Irish favourite....mushrooms! You can also swap out the tomatoes for about 500g of tomato passata if you prefer a smother sauce and dont be afraid to add a bit of torn Basil if you have it lying around. There's so much you can do with a Ragu, go wild!