Tender Ragù Alla Bolognese (no milk)
Forget what you've heard. Bolognese no longer requires milk in it to be official, nor is it hard to make. Simmer a pot of this rich, meaty, ragù alla bolognese (no milk recipe) and toss it with some homemade pasta for your next Sunday supper. Inspired by the authorized recipe for bolognese governed by the Bologna, Italy, Chamber of Commerce.
Servings 6 people
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb tagliatelle or pappardelle pasta cooked, reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta water plus more to reheat leftovers -SEE NOTE BELOW
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil more if needed
- 3 oz pancetta I use the diced pancetta from Trader Joe's
- 2 carrots finely diced
- 2 celery finely diced
- 1 onion finey chopped
- 2 lbs ground beef I use 80%
- 1 lb ground pork
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup white wine it has to evaporate completely; you can use red if you prefer
- 1 ½ cup chicken broth
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 3 oz tomato paste
- 28 oz passata
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat a large wide dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil and stir in the diced pancetta. Saute in the olive oil until browned but not charred. (That will affect the flavor of the sauce.) Use a slotted spoon to remove the pancetta to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Set aside.
- Add a little more oil to the pan if it looks too dry. Add the carrots, celery and onion to the pan. Saute the soffritto until cooked and softened a bit for 5-10 min.
- Add the ground meat and the ground pork to the vegetables. Season with the salt and pepper.Using the edge of a wooden spoon, finely mince the meats. Brown (but don't let it get too dark), over medium high heat until cooked about 8 minutes.
- Pour in 1 c wine and the nutmeg and cook until the wine evaporates and the meat is almost dry in the pan. This might take 5 minutes or so.After it does, stir in the tomato paste and melt into the meat. Stir in the passata and chicken stock. Allow to come together and then stir in the cooked pancetta.
- Reduce the heat to the lowest of simmers. The sauce should barely bubble (but it should bubble.)
- Simmer the bolognese for 3 hours on the lowest temperature.
- Add pasta water and a pat of butter at the end.
Notes
Tips for the best bolognese:
- You'll easily have enough sauce for 8-10 people so adjust the pasta portions as needed. We typically make 1 lb. for 4-6 people,but to be honest end up with leftovers.
- For the wine, I recommend a dry white wine like a pinot grigio or chardonnay. I don't recommend a sweet wine.
- Low and slow is the name of the game. This is not a sauce meant to be rushed. Take your time and enjoy the process!
- Make ahead up to 4 days ahead. This is a sauce that gets better as it sits.
