Classic Ragù 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 RAGU BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, and carrots. Saute until soft, 8-10 minutes. Add beef, veal, and pancetta; saute, breaking up with the back of a spoon, until browned, about 15 minutes. Add wine; boil 1 minute, stirring often and scraping up browned bits. Add 2 1/2 cups stock and tomato paste; stir to blend. Reduce heat to very low and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld, 1 1/2 hours. Season with salt and pepper.
• Bring milk to a simmer in a small saucepan; gradually add to sauce. Cover sauce with lid slightly ajar and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until milk is absorbed, about 45 minutes, adding more stock by 1/4-cupfuls to thin if needed. DO AHEAD: Ragu can be made 2 days ahead. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Rewarm before continuing.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until 1 minute before al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Transfer ragu to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pasta and toss to coat. Stir in some of the reserved pasta water by tablespoonfuls if sauce seems dry. Divide pasta among warm plates. Serve with Parmesan.

CLASSIC RAGù

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
• In a large, heavy-based, ovenproof saucepan or casserole, heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Season the beef, add to the pan and brown on all sides. Remove the beef and set aside.
• Add the onion, garlic, celery and rosemary to the pan and cook until soft. Return the meat to the pan, add the red wine and bring to the boil. Stir in the tomato passata and cover the surface of the ragù with a circle of baking paper. Bake for 2½ hours or until the meat is very tender.
• Remove the baking paper and break up the meat using a fork. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• To serve, cook the pappardelle in salted boiling water according to the packet instructions, or until al dente.
• In a sauté pan, mix 3 tablespoons of the ragù per portion of pasta with a tablespoon of the pasta water. Cook on a low heat and toss together until the sauce clings to the pasta.
• Serve with grated Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper.

CLASSIC BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• The building of a ragu involves three simple steps: browning the vegetables and meats, reducing flavorful liquids over the browned foods to build up layers of taste, then covering them with liquid and simmering gently until the flavors have blended and the meats are tender. Ragu`s should be rich without being heavy. A ragu is a meat sauce with tomato, it is not a tomato sauce with meat.
• Adapted from Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper
• In a small sauce pot, bring the cream up to a simmer and reduce by 1/3. About 6 tablespoons of cream should be remaining. In a sauce pot, render the pancetta over medium heat, about 8 minutes, or until almost all the fat is rendered. Stir in the carrots, celery, and onions. Season with salt and pepper. Saute the vegetables for about 3 minutes or until the vegetables are translucent. In a mixing bowl, combine the meats. Season the meats with salt and pepper. Increase the heat and stir in the meat. Brown the meat for 5 minutes, or until the meat is medium brown in color. Stir in the wine, garlic and diluted tomato paste, and reduce the heat to very low. Cook partially covered for 2 hours. From time to time stir in a tablespoon or so of the milk, by the end of the two hours the milk should be incorporated. Stir in the reduced cream. Season with salt and black pepper

RICH RAGU

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion, celery and carrot. Fry over a medium heat for 10 mins, stirring now and then, until softened and starting to colour.
• Stir in the mince and cook, breaking up any clumps of meat with a wooden spoon, until browned.
• Add the tomato purée, garlic and thyme, and cook for 1-2 mins more. Pour in the wine, if using, and increase the heat to boil off most of the alcohol. Reduce the heat, stir in the stock and season. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and leave to cook gently for 1 hr-1 hr 15 mins until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened.
• Remove the lid and continue cooking for 15 mins. Meanwhile, cook the pasta following pack instructions. Reserve a mugful of the cooking water, then drain the spaghetti and add to the ragu with the Parmesan. Toss well and add a little pasta water to help the sauce coat the spaghetti. Serve with a side salad and extra cheese, if you like.

CLASSIC RAGU BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, and carrots. Saute until soft, 8-10 minutes. Add beef, veal, and pancetta; saute, breaking up with the back of a spoon, until browned, about 15 minutes. Add wine; boil 1 minute, stirring often and scraping up browned bits. Add 2 1/2 cups of stock and tomato paste; stir to blend. Reduce heat to very low and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld, 1 1/2 hours. Season with salt and pepper.
• Bring milk to a simmer in a small saucepan; gradually add to sauce. Cover with lid slightly ajar and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until milk is absorbed, about 45 minutes, adding more stock by 1/4-cupfuls to thin if needed. DO AHEAD: Ragu can be made 2 days ahead. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Rewarm befor continuing.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until 1 minute before al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Transfer ragu to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pasta and toss to coat. Stir in some of the reserved pasta water by tablespoonfuls if sauce seems dry. Divide pasta among warm plates. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan.