How to Make Ragù Bolognese (Northern Italia Meat Sauce)
When it comes to meat sauces, ragù Bolognese is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. To arrive at this version, I started with Barbara Lynch's great recipe, adding a few tweaks here and there to enhance meatiness and texture (hello pancetta, gelatin, and fish sauce!), and employing a unique oven-based cooking technique that develops rich browned flavors all while maintaining the tender, silky texture that the best sauces have. This is the kind of sauce that will leave you and your loved ones weak in the knees.
I welcome you to tell me how inauthentic this recipe is. Please.
Why this recipe works:
- Slow-roasting in the oven creates rich browned flavors while ensuring that the meat stays tender.
- A combination of beef, lamb, and pork along with pancetta and chicken livers creates layers of rich, meaty flavor.
- Fish sauce added at the end enhances the meatiness of the dish.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Dutch oven, immersion blender
INGREDIENTS:
1 quart (1 liter) homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
1 to 1 1/2 ounces (4 to 6 packets; 30-45g) powdered gelatin (see note above)
1 (28-ounce; 800g)) can whole peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
1/2 pound (225g) finely minced chicken livers
1/4 cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound (450g) ground beef chuck (about 20% fat)
1 pound (450g) ground pork shoulder (about 20% fat)
1 pound (450g) ground lamb shoulder (about 20% fat)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons (60g) unsalted butter
1/2 pound (225g) finely diced pancetta
1 large onion, finely minced (about 8 ounces; 225g)
2 carrots, finely chopped (about 8 ounces; 225g)
4 stalks celery, finely chopped (about 8 ounces; 225g)
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup minced fresh sage leaves (about 25g)
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves (about 50g)
2 cups (475ml) dry white or red wine
1 cup (235ml) whole milk
2 bay leaves
1 cup (235ml) heavy cream
3 ounces (85g) finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons (30ml) Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce
To Serve:
Dried or fresh pasta, preferably pappardelle, tagliatelle, or penne
DIRECTIONS:
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 300°F. Place stock in a medium bowl or 1 quart liquid measure and sprinkle with gelatin. Set aside. Puree tomatoes in the can using an immersion blender or transfer to the bowl of a regular blender and puree until smooth. Transfer chicken livers to a cup that just fits the head of the immersion blender and puree until smooth.
2. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering. Add ground beef, pork, and lamb, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon or potato masher until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in pureed chicken livers.
3. Meanwhile, heat butter and pancetta in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until fat has mostly rendered but butter and pancetta have not started to brown, about 8 minutes. Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, sage, and half of parsley and cook, stirring and tossing until vegetables are completely softened but not browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer mixture to Dutch oven with meat mixture.
4. Return Dutch oven to high heat and cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated from the pan, about 10 minutes longer.
5. Add wine and cook, stirring, until mostly evaporated. Add reserved stock, tomatoes, milk, and bay leaves. Season gently with salt and pepper.
6. Bring sauce to a simmer, then transfer to oven with no lid. Cook, stirring and scraping down sides of pot occasionally, until liquid is almost completely reduced and sauce is rich and thick underneath a heavy layer of fat, 3 to 4 hours. If the sauce still looks liquidy or the fat has not separated and formed a thick layer after 4 hours, transfer to stovetop and finish cooking at a brisk simmer, stirring frequently.
7. Carefully skim off most of the fat, leaving behind about a cup total (for more precise measurement, skim completely then add back 1 cup of fat).
8. Stir in heavy cream, Parmesan, fish sauce, and remaining parsley. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly to emulsify. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bolognese can be cooled and stored in sealed containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
9. To Serve: Heat ragú in a large pot until just simmering. Set aside. Cook pasta in a large pot of well-salted water until just barely al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking liquid. Return to pot and add just enough sauce to coat, along with some of the cooking water. Cook over high heat, tossing and stirring gently until sauce is thick and pasta is coated, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately, passing extra Parmesan at the table.
Look no further! How to cook Authentic Ragù Alla Bolognese, with Tagliatelle
Bolognese sauce, or Ragu Alla Bolognese, is an Italian meat-based sauce for pasta which originated in Bologna in Northern Italy—also known as Bolognese Ragu. This version is the closest thing to the authentic recipe; however, there can still be many variations. I don't think there is an authentic version, but this is so close! Some use butter, others olive oil. For Ragu, I prefer olive oil. Some also add cream at the end; I don't think it needs it; the milk does the job.
The secret, of course, is in the sauce; it has to be cooked for a long time; the longer, the better. Cooking it longer breaks down the meat fibres, which thickens and intensifies the sauce. In the old days, they used to cook this for 5 to 6 hours as meat was very tough. Today 2 to 3 hours is plenty. Traditionally the meat is not minced but chopped using a knife. If you don't have pancetta, you could use pork mince also.
Some parts of Italy may also use butter instead of olive oil; I prefer virgin olive oil. Milk is also added towards the end of the cooking process to dampen the acidy of the tomato. The cream is an optional extra I usually use for dryer-style eggless pasta.
Spaghetti Bolognese sounds like an authentic Italian dish, but I've never seen it in Bologna. You will never find it in Italy, or at least I certainly haven't. You will find it in Europe, the US, Australia, and other countries. It's also known as spag bowl, a terrible name, so please don't ever use the term unless you're a young teenager!
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Traditional ragù alla bolognese, with fresh egg tagliatelle
Thanks to Magic Spoon for sponsoring this video! Use my code RAGUSEA to get $5 off your delicious, healthy Magic Spoon cereal:
My old, non-traditional bolognese recipe, if you want that instead:
***RECIPE, SERVES FOUR, IS EASILY MULTIPLIED***
For the sauce
1-1.5 lb (454-681g) ground meat (typically a combination of beef and pork)
2-3 oz (57-85g) pancetta or other fatty cured meat (this is skippable)
2 celery stalks (I also save the leaves for garnish)
2-3 carrots
1/2 an onion
white wine (can use water instead plus a splash of white balsamic vinegar)
chicken stock (I used a whole 1 quart, 946 mL carton but you could replace some or all with plain water)
milk
tomato paste
butter or olive oil
salt
pepper
For the pasta
6 eggs
all-purpose flour (about 3 cups, 360g plus more for dusting)
olive oil
salt
Dice the pancetta finely and throw it into a cold pan big enough to hold all your sauce. Turn the heat on medium and let it render out its fat while you dice your carrots. (If you're skipping the pancetta, just heat a film of olive oil or butter in the pan.) Stir the carrots into the pan. Dice the celery and stir it in, followed by the onion. At this point you may need some more fat to cook the vegetables, so put in a knob of butter or a glug of olive oil. Cook over moderate heat until the vegetables are soft but not brown. Dump them back out onto the cutting board.
Put the ground meat into the pan and turn the heat up higher. Stir the meat and break it up with a wooden spoon until you've evaporated off most of its water and you've gotten some good browning. Stir in a big squeeze of tomato paste and then deglaze with enough white wine to just submerge everything. Stir in a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper, reduce the heat and simmer for at least two hours (4-5 hours is better). Stir occasionally and replenish the liquid with enough stock to keep everything just barely submerged.
At some point while you're simmering, make the fresh pasta dough. Beat the eggs smooth with a glug of olive oil and pinch of salt. Stir in as much flour as the eggs will take. Knead the dough with additional flour until it's reasonably smooth and only a little sticky. Cover and let rest for at least 20 minutes.
When you're about a half hour away from dinner, let the sauce evaporate out most of its water and then pour in just enough milk to get everything submerged again. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally until the sauce is thick. Now would be a good time to put a pot of salted water on the boil for pasta and to roll the dough out.
Put your dough ball on a clean counter, scatter heavily with flour and roll with a rolling pin, turning and flipping frequently to make sure every surface is well-floured and doesn't stick. Keep rolling until you've got the sheet as thin as you can reasonably get it. Again make sure it's well-floured and then fold it over on itself a few times and transfer to a cutting board. Cut it into wide strips for tagliatelle. Scatter the strips with more flour and toss them to get them unfolded and separated.
When the sauce is thick, taste it for seasoning and add salt, pepper, etc. (I might give it a splash of vinegar and maybe even a pinch of sugar — call the Pasta Police.)
Drop the pasta in the boiling water and cook for a few minutes until it swells up noticeably and floats strongly to the surface. Drain, leaving a little pasta water behind to mix with the sauce. Stir in as much sauce as you want to coat all the pasta and serve — grated cheese is not traditional but live your own life.
How to prepare RAGU' ALLA BOLOGNESE - Traditional Italian recipe
Ladies and gentlemen, may we present you his majesty the RAGU ALLA BOLOGNESE! It is one of the most loved sauces all over the world, fundamental in the traditional lasagna, but AMAZING on its own or as a sauce for your pasta... Try it once and you will never go without!
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★ STEP BY STEP RECIPE (WITH PICS):
★ INGREDIENTS (4 SERVINGS)
Beef 300 g
Tomato puree 300 g
Carrots 50 g
Celery 50 g
Yellow onions 50 g
Fine salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Red wine 100 g
Pancetta bacon 150 g
Vegetable broth as needed
Extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp
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