Bolognese Sauce the “wrong” way
“Ragù di carne” or Bolognese Sauce as you call it here in England, is one of those Italian recipes that has transcended its own origin and become ubiquitous in many countries around the world. As it often happens in this cases though, the original recipe loses its essence and becomes diluted by various foreign adaptations. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for encouraging culinary experiments...in fact that is what I do myself most of the times! And this recipe is no exception. In Italy, there are several ways of making ragù depending on the region you are in. Different cuts of meat are used and different techniques. My mom always used a mix of beef and pork mince, expertly and freshly prepared by the butcher. I would recommend to always use the best quality meat you can afford. The base is the usual “soffritto”: onion, carrot and celery. Bay leaves and tomato sauce will be added later. Perhaps a dash of wine or a bit of milk if the sauce is too dry. I have experimented with this version many times and discovered that you can add a lot more vegetables in without spoiling the final result. Just another way to make my boys eat more plants!
Ingredients (SERVES 6-8)
500gr organic beef mince, 10% fat
500gr organic pork mince (or lamb, or turkey if you’d like)
1 big onion
75gr cubed pancetta
2 medium carrots
2/3 celery sticks
Chestnut mushrooms
Red pepper
Red split lentils
2 bay leaves
Tomato passata or a tin of tomatoes
Tomato paste
Dash of red wine
Milk if needed
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Method
Start by putting the roughly cut up onion and the pancetta in a food processor and pulse till it’s finely chopped.
Now choose a nice heavy casserole pan, put it on a medium heat and poor a couple of spoonfuls of olive oil. Add the onion and pancetta mix and let it cook for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, repeat the exercise with the food processor with the carrots and celery then add them to the pan. Do the same with the mushrooms and capsicum. Of course, you can choose to chop everything with a knife (or if you don’t have a food processor at hand) which is the original way of doing it.
Once the vegetables have been sautéing and have started to colour, add your mince breaking it up with a fork and mixing it well with the rest of the ingredients. Let it cook for a few minutes.
Add the bay leaves and the wine, if using it. Turn up the heat slightly to let it evaporate.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Just be warned that you will need to use quite a bit of salt to make it tasty but you can always add more at the end.
Now pour in the passata (or tin of tomatoes). I would probably say about a cup. And a spoonful of tomato paste.
Add a couple of handfuls of lentils.
Lower the heat, cover the pan and let it simmer for about 2 to 2 and a half hours. Make sure it doesn’t boil too hard as it should be more of a “pot pot pot” kind of noise…:).
If during the cooking you realise the ragù is a bit too dry, add a bit of milk.
Once time is up, taste and adjust the salt and pepper. You could add some chilli flakes if you like.
Here you go...now you have a great sauce for pasta, especially tagliatelle or pappardelle. If you don’t want to have pasta with it...just eat it with some lovely crusty bread as I often do!
Given the quantity, you will have some leftover. Store in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for a few months.