Just Made the Most Delicious Bolognese Ragù . . . here's how.
- Pamela Marasco
- Jul 16
- 4 min read
An authentic bolognese is a product of Bologna in Emilia -Romagna the "bread basket of Italy". A city especially blessed with cooks whose resumes date back to the Middle Ages when students from all parts of Europe came to study at the renowned university. The University of Bologna is considered to be the oldest university in the Western world. Nine centuries of academia,(from 1088 through the Middle Ages into the Renaissance and the contemporary era, its history is intertwined with that of the great names of science and literature and food. I say food because the first students to study at the university had servants and servants were cooks as well and as a result Bologna developed a culture of sophisticated foodies where Ragù alla Bolognese is revered.
This is not a spaghetti, marinara or meatball sauce. No basil, no garlic, no oregano. Just salt and pepper. This is a sauce for a purist. A sauce for one who appreciates meat (beef, pork, veal, wild boar). Unlike other Italian sauces, the tomato is a supporting player not one of the stars and should be used judiciously.
Although there are as many variations of Bolognese sauce as there are Italian cooks, an authentic bolognese begins with a sauté of the soffritto, a slow sweat of finely diced onions, carrots and celery in olive oil and butter. Then red wine and tomato are added. Some include a touch of milk (not cream) to mellow the flavor and soften the texture of what were once "gamey" meats. Some use a sprinkling of nutmeg but these additions vary among different families and recipes. In 1982, the Academia Italiana della Cucina officially registered the recipe for Ragù alla Bolognese with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce. According to the academy a classic Bolognese Ragù must include onions, celery, carrots, pancetta, ground beef, tomatoes, milk and white wine.
All ingredients must be fresh and of the best quality to produce a worthy bolognese. My secret ingredients are crushed tomatoes, a good red wine and nutmeg. The bright flavor, intense color and aroma of fresh vine ripened Italian tomatoes (not from concentrate) naturally sweetens the sauce, the wine enriches and elevates the flavor and the nutmeg adds warmth and complexity.
But the segreti of the sauce goes beyond the ingredients. When you are preparing a Ragù alla Bolognese you are cooking within a historical context that conveys the flavors and aromas of the culinary and cultural traditions of a unique regional Italian food.
The most traditional way to taste a great Bolognese sauce is with tagliatelle or in lasagne alla Bolognese. Recipes vary but this is the one that is typically cooked in large quantities, slow simmered filling the house with the aroma of tradition. A tradition thqt is not just about food;a tradition that's about family and local cuisine and the belief that a well-laid table shared with family and friends is a lost art that must be found again.
A Traditional Bolognese Ragù (serves 6-8 people)
Start the soffritto by finely chopping (do not mince) 1onion, 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery. Add a full drizzle of a good quality extra virgin olive oil and a pad of unsalted butter to a Dutch oven or large, heavy pot. Add the onions, carrots and celery. Sprinkle with fine gray sea salt and sauté until onion is translucent and celery and carrots are soft. Add 2-3 cloves of finely chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Do not allow garlic to burn. Remove soffritto from pot and set aside.
In the same pot add 2 lbs of ground beef (80/20) and 1 pound of ground veal. Cook on medium high heat until the meat is no longer pink, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Take your time with this step as the mark of an authentic Bolognese is a uniform mince. You may have to do this in 2 batches.
Remove meat from cooking pot and drain in a colander to remove excess grease. Return meat to pot and add back the set aside soffritto. Adjust salt and/or pepper and stir to combine.
Turn heat to medium high. Add 1 and 1/2 cups of a table quality drinking wine; a rich, red with a notes of dark fruit and low to medium tannins. After adding wine to your sauce, cover pot and allow wine to cook at a simmer for under a minute to concentrate flavors then uncover pot and cook until wine is slightly reduced. Stir then taste to ensure a harmonious blend. Adjust salt and pepper if needed.
Add a 14 oz can of Italian vine-ripened crushed tomatoes with their juices and reduce heat to low. Cover pot and continue to cook on a simmer for 1 and 1/2 hours. Be attentive to the pot, stirring occasionally.
At the end of the cooking time warm 1/2 cup of whole milk. Add a pinch of nutmeg to the milk and mix into the ragù. Serve with pasta with finely grated parmigiano reggiano cheese.
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