The classic recipe for Ragú alla Bolognese

In these difficult times we have found solace in enjoying home cooked meals together with our family. We wanted to share one of our favorite comfort foods with you, The classic Bolognese meat sauce, known in Italian as  Ragù alla Bolognese. Giuliano always makes a big batch and freezes it. The recipe is perfect for a pound of flour and water pasta such as rigatoni, 3 eggs of homemade egg pasta, or 12 ounces of dried egg noodles such as pappardelle or tagliatelle.
We also wanted to share a special link to an initiative called We Can Cook Through This. The website ckbk.com. is a digital collection of over 370 of some of the best cookbooks ever published in English. A couple of Marcella’s and Giuliano’s books are also included. The entire collection is available free of charge for 30 days if you use this special link. We wish you health and stamina during these difficult times.
Our tomato sauce, Carnaroli rice, olive oil, and red wine vinegar are all available with free shipping here.

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BOLOGNESE MEAT SAUCE

From Hazan Family Favorites by Giuliano Hazan

1/2 medium yellow onion 1 medium carrot
1 stalk celery
3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 12 ounces ground beef chuck
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup whole milk

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups canned whole peeled tomatoes with their juice

Salt

1. Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel the carrot and celery and cut into 1/4” dice. Put the onion, carrot, celery, butter, and olive oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pot and place over medium high heat. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

2. Add the ground beef and break it up with a wooden spoon. Add the wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost half has evaporated. Add the milk and nutmeg and cook, stirring occasionally, until half the milk has evaporated.

4. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and add them and their juice to the pot. Add salt and once the tomatoes have started bubbling, turn the heat down very low so that the sauce is barely simmering. Cook uncovered for at least 3 1⁄2 hours stirring every 15 to 20 minutes. If all the liquid evaporates before the cooking time is up, add 1/2 cup of water as needed. When the sauce is done, make sure all the liquid has evaporated before removing it from the heat.