# Ragu alla bolognese, original Italian receipe



## ragno nero cuocet (Mar 29, 2013)

Hi all my friends,

5th receipe is dedicated to one of the most famous Italian dishes: "Ragu alla bolognese".

There are 1000 different receipes to cook it, but I honestly think that this one is the better one.

Ingredients:

350gr of chopped pork leg
100gr of pancetta (it's similar to bacon)
250gr of chopped beef meat
30gr of concentrated tomato sauce
250gr of meat broth
1 glass of milk
1 glass of red wine
50gr butter
3 spoons of oil
pepper
salt
1 onion
1 carrot
1 celery
parmigiano reggiano

Now, let's go step by step...

1 finely chop onion, carrot and celery
2 in a large pot, put butter and oil and let them cook at medium heat, until butter will be dissolved
3 put chopped ingredients into the pot: cook them at medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until onion becomes caramelized
4 put all the finely chopped meat (pancetta, pork and beef) into the pot, at medium/high heat, and let cook it until you'll see that all the ingredients become cooked (they will change color). Stir occasionally to be sure that meal does not stick on the bottom of the pot.
5 add red wine, medium/high heat, and wait until it will be totally dissolved
6 in a little pot, add concentrated tomato sauce to the broth, medium heat, and stir until you will obtain a red hot broth
7 put an half of the broth into the large pot, and cook it at low heat for 90 minutes, sometimes adding the remained broth. You have to use all the broth.
8 When all the broth will be dissolved, add the milk and continue cooking for 10 minutes
9 Add salt and pepper and continue cooking for 5 minutes
10 Cook your favorite pasta format (but let me say that the perfect one is homemade "fettuccine") and season it with your "ragu alla bolognese"
11 Scatter pasta with abundant parmigiano
12 Enjoy...

The principal differences between this recipe and the other ones are:

a - we use concentrated tomato sauce and broth instead of normal tomato sauce: in this way, ragu will be creamier
b - we use milk: also in this case, ragu will be creamier and more delicate
c - we cook ragu for about 2 hours
d - we use salt and pepper only at the end of the receipe: ragu flavor will be less "aggressive"

I swear on my name: a perfect result is guaranteed!

Enjoy.....


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## Lindazoe (Mar 29, 2013)

Sounds fantastico!!

Does is matter what type of milk you use?  Could you use reduced fat milk?


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## ragno nero cuocet (Mar 29, 2013)

Lindazoe said:


> Sounds fantastico!!
> 
> Does is matter what type of milk you use?  Could you use reduced fat milk?



A good milk is essential for this recipe, as the meat is.

I always use "latte intero": that is, milk with no fat reduction.

TY for the question!

PS: "A good milk is essential for this recipe, as the meat is.". Is this phrase correct?


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## Lindazoe (Mar 29, 2013)

Ok great.  Thank you


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## CraigC (Mar 29, 2013)

ragno nero cuocet said:


> A good milk is essential for this recipe, as the meat is.
> 
> I always use "latte intero": that is, milk with no fat reduction.
> 
> ...


 
You could say, "The milk used is just as important (essential) as the meat in this recipe." Your doing good with english. My Italian is nonexistant, my Spanish is very lacking and my German is quite rusty.


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## pacanis (Mar 29, 2013)

What is concentrated tomato sauce?
I'm having a hard time finding a definitive answer.

And the only real thing I would change in your english is #5 saying the wine dissolves. Dissolves moslty refers to solids, evaporates or "reduced completely" refers to liquids... probablly reduced is used more than anything. Such as "reduced by half". Then we will know what to look for. Or at least I will, lol.


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## ragno nero cuocet (Mar 29, 2013)

TY so much!







That's it!

I think you say tomato paste...


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## pacanis (Mar 29, 2013)

Tomato paste. Thanks.
So the main ingredients do the seasoning? There isn't any basil, oregano or similar herbs in it? 
And BTW, don't pay attention to my spelling above, lol.


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## ragno nero cuocet (Mar 29, 2013)

Ragu does not want any herbs inside!

Naturally, the meats are the most important part of it. But also pay attention to use a good parmigiano.


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## pacanis (Mar 29, 2013)

OK. Thanks.


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## chopper (Mar 29, 2013)

ragno nero cuocet said:


> TY so much!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Tomato paste in a tube?  Who knew?  I've only seen it in cans.  

I love your recipes and your English.  You are doing great.


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## Lindazoe (Mar 29, 2013)

ragno nero cuocet said:


> But also pay attention to use a good parmigiano.



Which is the best to buy?  Do you like the Parmigiano Reggiano to cook with or is there a better one you recommend?


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## cara (Mar 30, 2013)

I think a Pecorino will work, too ;-)

ragno,
sounds really good, almost the way I do it 
but I would never ever use concentrato di pomodoro in a Ragu... don't like the taste of it..
the whole ragu definitely needs its time so I use the canned tomatoes and cooking time is at least 3 hours, but mostly longer, so believe me, it's creamy, too ;o)


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## buckytom (Mar 30, 2013)

cara mia!!!

willkommen zuruck!


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## cara (Mar 30, 2013)

bucky,
I've been here quite a few times, but believe it or not, there was nothing to add my two cents ;o)

Thanks for the re-welcome ;o))


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## buckytom (Mar 30, 2013)

bitte.

how's your horse headed boss, and the biological weapins development going? ... 

just kidding.


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## cara (Mar 30, 2013)

we are still looking for the ONE weapon, but it seems we are close to it... changed our profession at work a bit into ornithology as we are feeding all the birds in town it seems ;o)
strong and long winter here.. *sigh*

we are highjacking this thread ;o)

how's Joisey doing this winter?

Ps: ha.. I forgot... I'm learning english at work now


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## buckytom (Mar 30, 2013)

lol, we're having an average winter here. 

but back to ragu alla bolognese.

no herbs?

va fa napoli!


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## cara (Mar 30, 2013)

herbs are not absolutely necessary, they can be added, but I've done a ragu without before..
If you have a good meat basis it should work without


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## buckytom (Mar 30, 2013)

omg, you've awakened the cracken!

bolognesse is not just meat and sauce. as much as it ends up served that way...


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## cara (Mar 30, 2013)

Bucky, there are so many different ways for a Bolognese, there is no "one recipe" for that.
I prefer it with my erbe rusticana, but it does work without, althought it's better with.
If you have very good starting ingredients, it will taste good without further spicing..


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## buckytom (Mar 30, 2013)

oh, i was only joking around. myself and others have been chastised for mistakenly referring to ragu alla bolognese as "meat sauce" before. 

just back away slowly...


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## cara (Mar 30, 2013)

well... to be honest... in most cases I do it with ground meat.. it's just much easier


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## buckytom (Mar 30, 2013)

heathen!!!

GET THE PITCHFORKS AND TORCHES!!!


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## cara (Mar 30, 2013)

yes... I feel very very bad.........


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## buckytom (Mar 30, 2013)

lol.


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## ragno nero cuocet (Apr 2, 2013)

@Lindazoe
Which is the best to buy? Do you like the Parmigiano Reggiano to cook with or is there a better one you recommend? 

The original recipe uses only Parmigiano Reggiano, but I often use Pecorino to ensure that the flavor of my dish will be stronger.

@cara
but I would never ever use concentrato di pomodoro in a Ragu... don't like the taste of it..

I often prepared this dish with tomato sauce, boiling sauce for 3 hours. But from the first time I tried the concentrato, I've never used another way to prepare the ragu.

The world is wonderful because we are different!!!


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## cara (Apr 2, 2013)

hell... there is another way than simmering it for hours and hours?


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## ragno nero cuocet (Apr 3, 2013)

IMHO, the ragu sauce has to be cooked for at least 90 mins. 

In this way, tomato sauce (or broth and concentrate mixture) will be reduced (the wather contained will evaporate), and the meat will "share" its flavor to the sauce itself.

If you want, you can use only tomato sauce (not concentrated), reducing the original quantity, and let the sauce simmer for 30 mins: after that, you can add milk and let it cook for 5 mins.

But believe in me, my friend: if you have the time, try to cook it in the aforementioned way...

You'll taste the difference...

TY for the question, I hope my answer has solved your problem.

PS: was my English correct???


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## Cooking Goddess (Apr 4, 2013)

ragno nero cuocet said:


> TY so much!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



chopper, I find the paste-in-tube on the top shelf in the same row as the canned stuff.  Very concentrated, like double strength.  It's pricey, like $3 for a toothpaste-size, but nice if all you need is a little, like a Tbsp full.  Otherwise if I need at least half a can I just open that, then freeze the rest for when I need paste again.


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## chopper (Apr 4, 2013)

Cooking Goddess said:


> chopper, I find the paste-in-tube on the top shelf in the same row as the canned stuff.  Very concentrated, like double strength.  It's pricey, like $3 for a toothpaste-size, but nice if all you need is a little, like a Tbsp full.  Otherwise if I need at least half a can I just open that, then freeze the rest for when I need paste again.



Thank you. I will look next time. Sometimes I only want a tablespoon!


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## Snip 13 (Apr 5, 2013)

This sounds great! Thank you  I like using pappardelle pasta with mine.


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## cara (Apr 7, 2013)

ragno nero cuocet said:


> If you want, you can use only tomato sauce (not concentrated), reducing the original quantity, and let the sauce simmer for 30 mins: after that, you can add milk and let it cook for 5 mins.



I tried that once and in my opinion it was no Bolognese. 
A real one is for hubby's home office days or weekend. You'll have to take the time it needs.


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## ragno nero cuocet (Apr 8, 2013)

cara said:


> I tried that once and in my opinion it was no Bolognese.
> A real one is for hubby's home office days or weekend. You'll have to take the time it needs.



I agree with you!

But if you don't have much time, you can easily cook a good dish spending less time!!!


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## cara (Apr 8, 2013)

yeah, but that would rather be a carbonara than a bolognese......


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