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Make ragu

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Sunday gravy is an all-day affair. This kind of long-simmering sauce is why. Do Not skimp on the time — it does all the work. Pazienza!

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ragu alla bolognese

Recipe by Chuck Cushman
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

1

hour 

30

minutes
Cooking time

4

hours 

This is my very hearty rendition of the classic Italian sauce, made in a huge batch for storage. From this recipe, I usually get dinner the night I make it, plus 6 to 8 freezer tubs, each enough for two robust servings. They last all winter in the freezer.

Serve with the pasta of your choice. Favorites are any short dried pasta (rigatoni, penne, etc.), but the original is served in Bologna over fresh pappardelle, which is very hard to beat. Also great on tortellini, or as part of lasagne, made with fresh green pasta.

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil

  • 2 Tbsp. butter

  • 2 large onions, chopped coarsely

  • 2 carrots, coarsely chopped

  • 2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped

  • 1-2 lbs. ground beef

  • 1-2 lbs. ground pork

  • 1 lb. ground lamb OR ground veal

  • 1 cup milk

  • 1 pinch nutmeg

  • 1 cup white wine

  • 1 Tbsp. tomato paste

  • 4 Lbs. tomatoes, roasted and passed through a food mill

  • 1 jar passata (optional)

  • 1 cup stock

  • q.b. salt and pepper

Directions

  • Put the oil and butter in a large sauce pot and heat over medium high flame. While the oil heats, chop the onion, carrot, and celery and mince them in a food processor. Add to the oil and sauté until much of the liquid is gone, and the vegetables have started to brown, about 25-40 minutes.
  • Add the meats and brown, breaking them up into small bits. Once browned, add the milk and cook it out. Season with a tiny sprinkle of nutmeg. The fats in the milk help protect the meat from the harsh acidity of the wine and tomatoes.
  • Add the wine and cook it out, then add the tomato paste and stir it in. Add the tomatoes you have passed through a food mill, along with the passata and stock.
  • Reduce the temperature to low and cook the sauce for at least 4 hours, 6-8 is better.
  • Serve over your favorite pasta, with tons of good grated parmigiano-reggiano.
  • Leftovers, once cooled, go into freezer containers and into the freezer. I put them in two-serving packs and use them all winter….

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