This is the classic original recipe for Ragu Bolognese filed with the Bologna chamber of commerce in 1982. We will scrupulously follow the recipe filed by the academy of Italian cuisine. The ingredients to obtain 8 portions of Ragù are: 600 grams of beef 'plate' (between brisket and flank) or coarsely ground beef, 100 g of butter, 300 g of minced pork belly, a quarter of a liter of red wine, 600 grams of tomato puree or peeled tomatoes, half a liter of whole milk, 100 grams of onion, 100 of carrot and 100 of celery. We start preparing the aromas by cutting them finely. While we proceed with the making of a small incision, a bit about this classic Bolognese recipe which is itself a product of multiple variations on the theme. Just think that in the nineteenth century, as described by Pellegrino Artusi in his manual, there was no use of tomato or more recently with variations on the type of wine to be used, on the meat and in general on the proportions of the ingredients. The most common traditional version in bologna albeit with variations from family to family, is the one deposited at the chamber of commerce or our recipe of the day! In a nutshell, always feel free to modify it to taste if you like. But enough with the chit chat. Regarding a suitable pan, we suggest a diameter of 20 centimeters. We melt the butter and add celery, carrot and onion. We will gently sauté our aromas until tender and then add the pancetta making sure to add it in the center of the pan pushing the aromatics towards the edges. Alternatively you can cook the pancetta before the aromatics at your total discretion. In fact, the cooking sequence will depend only on practical considerations and not on gastronomic choices. When the pancetta is partly browned and partly cooked it will be time for the beef. We will cook over medium heat until our sauce sizzles. When the Bolognese sauce is rather dry, we will add the wine a little at a time so as not to reduce the cooking temperature too much. The wine will be allowed to evaporate and then more will be added. The original recipe measures the quantity of wine in terms of glasses. We specify that a glass is a variable unit that can range from 100 to 250 milliliters. Also in this case, it will be your discretion to choose the right quantity. For our ragù, we will add a quarter of a liter of Chianti Classico. Soft and velvety, it will have its acidity perfectly diluted by the milk that will be added at the end of cooking. After the wine, the tomato will be added. The choice of tomato is at your discretion. It can be puree, pulp, crushed peeled tomatoes or a combination of them. Here we have selected a puree sauce because we believe it creates a better final product. The tomato incorporated, we cover leaving the lid cracked and we will cook over low heat for at least two hours, adding beef broth if necessary. During this time, the ragù will reach its full maturity and its rich and complex flavor will be almost completely constructed. We have now reached the final touch: we will now add the whole milk. We will pour it a little at a time and when incorporated, we will add more. In the classic Bolognese sauce, the whole milk has a critical function. In the first place, it will dampen the acidity of the tomato and wine and moreover, thanks to its fats and proteins, it will give the meat sauce a pleasant softness. Overall it will make the classic Bolognese sauce velvety and delicate. Even during this phase, you should not be in a hurry but you must let the sauce cook for about an hour over medium-low heat, making sure that it never gets too dry but also that it is not a broth of milk. Only towards the end of cooking, will it be time to salt and pepper. And here is our classic Bolognese sauce, original recipe. As a bonus we will show you how to use it with tagliatelle pasta to make the traditional Tagliatelle with Bolognese Sauce for 4. We will cook about 250 g of tagliatelle which can be easily made at home as shown in one of our videos. Or, otherwise bought from your specialty pasta shop. As soon as they are cooked for about 1 or 2 minutes, we will add half of the sauce, just made, equivalent to four doses. For the remaining classic Bolognese sauce, we suggest dividing it into portions. In fact, the Bolognese sauce can be easily stored both in the fridge and in the freezer. A curiosity about the name ragù which derives from the ancient French "ragoûter" which means to revive the taste. In general, the term "ragoût" means all those preparations in which the meat is made into small pieces or minced and then stewed over low heat for a long time. And here are our tagliatelle with classic Bolognese sauce. Absolutely irresistible. Of course, there are a thousand of others ways to use the ragù - for example with polenta or to create the classic Sunday dish Lasagna Bolognese and Buon Appetito! Subscribe for more recipes from Italy and beyond!
