Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Bolognese Meat Sauce (Ragù)

A friend is opening a restaurant in West Texas and emailed me requesting some pasta sauce recipes. I thought I would share them here, as well.  If you get a chance to visit Del Rio, Texas, you might want to stop by Doc Holliday's for a pizza or pasta dish.

Bolognese Meat Sauce 

This sauce, hailing from Bologna, the region some consider Italy's culinary capitol, is great in a lasagna, as well as with Bologna's famous tagliatelle pasta (a little wider than fettuccine), and frequently will be found dressing tortellini.

(For 6 servings of pasta.)

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2/3 cup finely chopped celery
2/3 cup finely chopped carrot
1/2 pound ground beef chuck
1/4 pound ground (or diced) pork
Salt
Pepper
1 cup whole milk
Nutmeg
1 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups tomatoes, skinned

1.  Put oil, butter and onion in heavy pot and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent, then add the celery and carrot.  Stir well and cook for about 5 minutes.

2.  Add meats, a large pinch of salt, and a couple of grindings of pepper, crumbling the meat with a fork or wooden spoon.  Cook until the meat has lost its red color.

3.  Add milk, simmer gently, stir frequently, and allow milk to bubble away completely. Add a small grating of nutmeg.  

4.  Add the wine, allow to simmer until it has evaporated, then stir in the skinned tomatoes. Reduce heat to a low simmer.  Cook uncovered for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  As it cooks, add 1/2 cup of water when necessary.  









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