Classic Beef Ragu Sauce Food

ITALIAN BEEF RAGU

Steps:

• Finely chop the carrot, onion and celery and sweat the vegetables gently in a large frying pan with the olive oil. Once the vegetables are soft add the ground beef and pork and cook until browned.
• If there is a lot of excess fat in the pan, drain some out. Add the red wine and reduce by half. Once the wine has reduced by half add the passata and half of the beef stock and a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Stir the sauce and let it simmer on a low heat for 2 and a half hours topping up the rest of the stock as it reduces.
• Tip: Remeber to check on the ragu every now and then to stir it and add extra stock or water if needed.
• To serve with pasta add cooked pasta into the ragu and toss or use as desired.

CLASSIC BEEF RAGU SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large, heavy bottomed pot (such as a Dutch oven), heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Pat the beef cubes dry and season with some salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the meat to the hot pan in small batches. **You don want to crowd the pan, to avoid too much liquid in the pan, which will prevent the beef from browning. And browning = flavour. So do the beef in about 1/2 lb. batches (so 2 batches for the 1X recipe). Once beef is nicely browned, remove to a plate and set aside. Repeat until all the beef is browned.
• In the same pot, adding a bit more oil, if necessary, cook the onion and carrots, stirring, until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and garlic and cook for about a minute more. Add tomato paste and stir in, cooking for about 30 seconds. Add the wine and stirring, cook until the wine has reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes with juices (breaking up the whole tomatoes a bit with a spoon or your hands), beef broth, butter, herbs and salt. Stir until the butter is melted, then add the bay leaf. Return the reserved meat and any juices to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 2 1/2 hours, stirring a couple of times during cooking.
• **At this point, you can transfer the mixture to a slow cooker, to cook (covered), for 3 1/2 - 4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low, followed by 30 minutes uncovered to thicken. You could also pop the Dutch oven into at 325F oven for about the same time as simmering on the stove-top, so about 2 1/2 hours, stirring a couple of times during cooking, then simmer on the stove-top over medium-low heat uncovered at the end, to thicken.
• When beef is fork-tender, remove and discard the bay leaf. Using a potato masher, mash the ragu to break up the beef into shreds. Add the vinegar and increase the heat to medium-low. Simmer the sauce, uncovered, for an additional 30 minutes, or until thickened to your liking.
• Taste the ragu and adjust seasoning to your taste, adding salt especially, as needed. The sauce should be smooth and flavourful. If it tastes flat and acidic, it needs salt. Add a bit at a time and stir in, taste and repeat as needed.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Drain and place pasta into a large bowl. Spoon ragu over pasta, as needed, tossing well to coat the pasta. Allow the pasta to stand several minutes undisturbed in the bowl, to allow the sauce and pasta to "meld together", before serving with Parmesan and some torn basil leaves.

CLASSIC BOLOGNESE SAUCE (A.K.A. RAGU)

Steps:

• In order to prevent the ragu from reducing too quickly, use the heaviest, deepest pot that you own.
• Melt butter& oil and saute onion& garlic over medium heat until just translucent.
• Add celery& carrot and cook gently for about 2 minutes.
• Add the ground beef, crumbling it in the pot with a fork.
• Stir in salt.
• Cook only until the meat loses its raw, red colour.
• Add the wine, turn heat up to medium high and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the wine evaporates (1/2 hour to 45 minutes).
• Turn the heat down to medium, add the milk& nutmeg and cook, stirring frequently, until all the milk evaporates (1/2 hour TO 45 minutes).
• Add oregano, pepper& tomatoes and stir thoroughly.
• When the tomatoes have started to boil, turn the heat down until the sauce cooks at the laziest simmer- just the occasional bubble.
• Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for at least 4 hours (5 hours is better).
• If you can't watch the sauce for such a long stretch, you can interrupt this simmering time- but DO complete it in the same day!

BEEF RAGU

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Put the mince in a shallow roasting tin, break it up and put in the oven for 5 mins. Remove the mince and give it a stir, then nestle in the star anise and cloves (tie them up in a piece of muslin cloth first, if you prefer) and roast for another 10 mins. Give it another stir, then roast for another 30-40 mins until deep brown and crispy, stirring and scraping it off the bottom of the pan a few times if needed. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and cook the pancetta for 8-10 mins until crispy and browned on all sides. Stir in the onions, carrots, celery and garlic, and cook for 8-10 mins until the veg has softened. Stir through the mushrooms, oregano and bay leaves, then scatter over the sugar and squeeze in the tomato purée. Stir well, then pour in the wine and vinegar and bring to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes until reduced by about a third.
• Tip in the tomatoes, then a can of water. Add the stock pot or cube, give everything another good stir and bring to a simmer again. Scrape in the roasted mince and spice bag, season, then turn the heat down to low and simmer gently for about 1 hr 30 mins until thick and glossy. Taste for seasoning. The sauce will taste even better if left to cool completely and chilled for a day or two before reheating. Serve with pasta and grated parmesan, if you like. Can be chilled for up to three days or frozen for three months - defrost fully before reheating over low to medium heat until piping hot.