Authentic ragù alla bolognese

When I think about pasta alla bolognese, the first picture that comes to my mind is the dish I used to be served at the school cafeteria. I remember how the cafeteria lady poured two big ladles of a very tomato-ey sauce on top of yellow buttered spaghetti. I'm sorry to say that my mother didn't fare much better with her quick homemade version. Therefore, I was never a big fan of pasta alla bolognese. Nothing special about them, juste this intense tomato taste that overshadowed the meat, which itself was quite dry and tasteless ; it was comforting, yes, especially when you buried it under copious amounts of cheese, but that was it. Then I went to Sardegna, and had proper ragu alla bolognese out of luck. I say we got lucky because the dish originates from Bologna, in the Italian Peninsula, and differs from the food you can typically find in Sardegna. I am grateful for eating such a brilliant version of it without having to go to Emilia-Romagna. Please visit Hostaria Via Aemilia if you ever go there. This experience blew my mind : the original version had nothing to do with whatever you can be served in most countries. Gone was this acidic, plain tomato taste ; instead, you were served pasta in a rich, stew-like meaty sauce that contained barely any liquid. It looked orangey-brown, without a hint of aggressive red. The ragù wasn't simply plopped over some overcooked pasta but coated each bit of fresh, homemade pappardelle. The meat was not your thinly ground, overly-processed looking beef, but thicker bits of beef and pork coarsely ground, which felt and tasted like actual meat. I knew I had to recreate this dish at home the Italian way, without messing with tradition. I was only half surprised to discover that they went so far as filing it with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce on October 17, 1982 ! They are right though : this recipe is precious, and should not be forgotten over the years with the shortcuts most people take with it. On top of that, the traditional recipe is really simple to make ; just keep in mind that it ideally needs to simmer for 2,5 to 3 hours, or at least 2.

Authentic ragù alla bolognese - Recipe

Ingredients - Advice & key points

As a reminder, I usually go to Eataly to get the produce I need. If you don't have one near your location, you can find the fresh produce you need at your local Italian deli, especially fresh pasta and pancetta.

• Pasta :
  • Fresh pasta are favoured by most Italians for a ragù. Fresh pappardelle is the most traditional option, but you can also use any long pasta of your choice. Even short pasta will be well-suited for the recipe, as they will capture the meat from the sauce.
  • I buy fresh pasta from a local deli. It's a great option if you don't feel like spending 5 hours in the kitchen.

• Meat options :
  • Ask your butcher for some coarsely ground beef, ideally not too lean ! He can chop it himself with a knife, or use a different setting from his grinding machine. This is what the authentic recipe calls for, because the flavour will be stronger.
  • In order to get the right richness for the sauce, it is important to add, besides your beef, the fattier pancetta. I used pancetta arrotolata, which the deli man sliced quite thin (around 0,5cm thick), then diced it in small strips, about about 1cm x 5cm.
• Tomato sauce :
  • Use quality tomato sauce !! It makes a world of difference. The brands I use and recommend and Antonella, Nanù and Afeltra, with Afeltra as my personal favourite, especially their San Marzano kind. But just use any Italian good quality tomato sauce you can get your hands on.
  • I used peeled and diced canned tomatoes, but you can also use tomato purée (passata).
• Soffritto : Please dice your onion, carrot and celery really thinly, without using a mixer.
• Broth : I use store-bought here, since the large amount of meat already brings in lots of flavour. Feel free to use homemade if you can !
• Milk : Yes, this is one of the secret ingredients of the authentic recipe. It counteracts the tomatoes' acidity and improves the meat's texture.

Cooking your pasta - Pieces of advice

• Pasta :
  • Salt your pasta water appropriately, with around 10g of salt/liter.
  • Although we'll end up adding the pasta to the pan with the sauce, we'll just leave them here for a minute there, contrary to the Carbonara recipe.   
• Plating :
  • I recommend heating your plates in the oven for 10 minutes at 80°C before plating. This will keep your pasta warm longer.

Take out that Dutch oven and treat yoself ! Not to mention, this ragù is the foundation for decadent homemade lasagna... A recipe I will be glad to post soon, too.