Traditional Spaghetti with Bolognese Ragù

105 min
Bolognese Ragù is much more than a simple meat sauce with tomato. It is a slow and deep cooking stew, where the magic lies in its patiently cooked “soffritto” base (onion, celery and carrot). The ground beef is browned and then combined with red wine, tomato and broth, cooking for hours with a bouquet of fresh herbs until the sauce is thick, concentrated and with an incredible complexity of flavors. It is traditionally served with egg pasta such as tagliatelle, but in the rest of the world it has become popular with spaghetti, which is perfectly imbued with this glorious sauce.

INGREDIENTES

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6
Porciones

HERRAMIENTAS

  • + Large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch Oven type.
  • + Large pot for pasta.
  • + Cutting board and knife.
  • + Wooden spoon.
  • + Grater.
  • + Pasta tongs

INSTRUCCIONES

Step 1:

The Soffritto (The Base of Everything). In the large pot, heat a good amount of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion, celery and carrot (the soffritto). Cook very slowly, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. Vegetables should be very soft and translucent, not golden. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 2:

Brown the Meat. Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the ground beef to the pot. With a wooden spoon, separate it and stir it constantly until it has lost its pink color and is well browned.

Step 3:

Build the Ragu. Pour in the red wine to deglaze the bottom of the pot, scraping with the spoon. Allow the alcohol to evaporate and the wine to reduce almost completely. Add the tomato sauce and meat broth.

Step 4:

Slow Cooking. Introduce the bouquet of fresh herbs into the sauce. Once the boil breaks, lower the heat to a minimum, cover the pot and let the ragù cook very slowly for at least an hour and a half. The longer, the better. Stir from time to time.

Step 5:

Cook the Pasta. When there are about 15 minutes left until the ragout is ready, bring plenty of salted water to the boil in the other pot. Cook the spaghetti until they are “al dente”.

Step 6:

The Perfect Marriage. Remove the bouquet of herbs from the sauce. Just before draining the pasta, reserve a cup of your cooking water. In a large skillet, place a couple of ladles of the ragù, add the drained pasta and mix over high heat, adding some of the cooking water so that the sauce adheres perfectly to the pasta.

Step 7:

Serve. Immediately serve a serving of spaghetti on each plate, top it with an extra ladle of ragù, a generous amount of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a last drizzle of olive oil.

TIPS

  • + The Patience of Soffritto: Don't rush the sauce. Cooking it slowly over low heat is the first and most important secret to developing the sweet and deep flavor base of a good ragù.
  • + The Secret Is in Time: A real Bolognese ragù needs time. Long, slow cooking at minimum heat is what softens the meat and merges all the flavors into an incredibly complex sauce. If you can, let it cook for 2 or even 3 hours.
  • + Meat Mix: For an even richer flavor, use a mix of 50% beef and 50% ground pork. Pork provides more fat and juiciness.
  • + 'Cream': The final step of sautéing the pasta with the sauce in a pan (“mantecare”) is a key Italian technique. The starch in the pasta and cooking water emulsify with the sauce, creating a creamy texture and ensuring that each noodle is perfectly coated.