ragu.txt

Ragu (aka Bolognese sauce)

This is mainly taken directly from Marcella Hazan.

450g good quality steak mince
1 stick celery, chopped finely
1 medium onion, chopped finely
1 carrot, chopped finely
8 fl oz / 1 cup dry white wine
8 fl oz / 1 cup milk
1 tin tomatoes
nutmeg, seasonings

First fry the vegetables in a little cooking olive oil (about 1 tbs) over a low heat until soft.

Then, in a separate pan over a high heat, brown the mince in small batches.  Add the mince to the vegetables as it is done, being careful to drain off any fats from the meat.

Add the wine over a high heat, and cook until dry.  This means that there will still be a small amount of liquid at the bottom of the pan, which will be more fat from the mince - about a tablespoonful, in an ideal world.  This should take about 10 minutes.

Add the milk over a medium heat, give it a generous grating of nutmeg (about 1/8 of a whole nutmeg), add ~1 tsp salt, and cook until dry.  Be careful, as it will burn if you let it.  There will be slightly more liquid residue at the bottom than in the previous stage.

Add the tomatoes, and break them up with a spoon.  Cook this for at least two hours over a very low flame; longer is better.  You are supposed to do this uncovered, and Marcella says nothing about adding any extra liquid.  However, I find that it will dry out very quickly.  You can add more tomato juice, or more wine, or stock, or water to maintain the desired consistency and prevent burning.  This stage can burn easily if left unattended for too long.

Serve with pasta and parmesan; tagliatelle is traditional in Bologna, but spaghetti is common in England; I like it with penne or rigatoni.