Pasta alla Ragu

Ah, the love of my life! (Sorry hubby!)

Yes, this is something more than just pasta, this is something that I prepared, by far, the most number of times of any dishes out there. I really like to switch it up and try out new, diverse recipes, but I’m always coming back to this.

Ragu, ragu bolognese or just bolognese is a meat-based sauce in Italian cuisine, typical of the city of Bologna.

The earliest documented recipe for a ragu served with pasta comes from late 18th century, in Imola, near Bologna, from Alberto Alvisi, cook of the local Cardinal Barnaba Chiaramonti, later Pope Pius VII, and later in 1891 Pellegrino Artusi published a recipe for a ragu characterized as bolognese in his cookbook.

One thing please, don’t eat it with spaghetti! There is no such thing as ‘Spaghetti Bolognese’. Spaghetti is the smoothest pasta there is, and therefore, won’t combine well with the sauce, leaving you with a ladle of sauce at the bottom after you finish all your spaghetti. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Add bacon bits to a cold saucepan and fry for 3-4 minutes over low heat.

Add finely chopped onions, carrots, celery, sweet red pepper and garlic and saute together with bay leaves for 5 minutes, then add anchovies and cook for 2 more minutes.

Add minced meat, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 more minutes.

Pour in the wine and cook for 2-3 minutes until the alcohol evaporates.

Add in chopped basil, tomato sauce, tomato paste and beef stock, then simmer on low heat for hour and a half. Season and add more stock as needed.

At the end stir in grated pecorino romano cheese and a splash of milk.

Cook the pasta in salted water until al-dente, after stir it into the sauce and cook for another minute.

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Pasta alla Ragu

Yield: 2

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Ingredients

• Rigatoni pasta - 180 g
• Bacon - 25 g
• Mixed minced meat - 200 g
• Onion - 1
• Carrot - 0.5
• Celery - 1 stick
• Sweet red pepper - 0.5
• Garlic - 2 cloves
• Anchovies - 2 fillets
• Tomato sauce - 150 ml
• Tomato paste - 1 tablespoon
• Red wine - 50 ml
• Beef stock - 900 ml
• Basil - 1 tablespoon
• Bay leaves - 2
• Milk - 25 ml
• Pecorino romano cheese - 1 tablespoon

Instructions

1. Add bacon bits to a cold saucepan and fry for 3-4 minutes over low heat.
2. Add finely chopped onions, carrots, celery, sweet red pepper and garlic and saute together with bay leaves for 5 minutes, then add anchovies and cook for 2 more minutes.
3. Add minced meat, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 more minutes.
4. Pour in the wine and cook for 2-3 minutes until the alcohol evaporates.
5. Add in chopped basil, tomato sauce, tomato paste and beef stock, then simmer on low heat for hour and a half. Season and add more stock as needed.
6. At the end stir in grated pecorino romano cheese and a splash of milk.
7. Cook the pasta in salted water until al-dente, after stir it into the sauce and cook for another minute.