Tagliatelle al ragù alla bolognese is another classic. The dense and rich meat ragù, creamy to perfection, tasty and very fragrant will astonish you. So simple but so delicious. This is a great comfort dish perfect for a family lunch.
Ragu alla bolognese is one of the most famous and representative sauces in the world. You can name it “your majesty” as well. Wink. It’s super easy to make. In fact, all you need is some basic ingredients, such as carrot, onion, celery, tomato, meat and some wine.
Wait. I bet…I know you are thinking of spaghetti bolognese. This might surprise you, but there is no such thing in Italy as spaghetti bolognese. Nope. In fact, ragù is very rarely served with spaghetti. The only real thing are tagliatelle con ragù alla bolognese.
There are some acceptable alternatives, too. This rich and incredibly tasty sauce is used also when making the classic lasagna. Oh, yummy. Besides that, it can be served with pappardelle or fettuccine, rigatoni, penne, cannelloni and gnocchi.
If you like some other type of pasta, check these pasta recipes: spaghetti alla carbonara, another classic cacio e pepe, this amazing tagliatelle with mortadella ragù or penne all’arrabbiata.
In 1982, the Italian Academy of Cuisine, which is dedicated to preserving the Italian culinary heritage, approved and notarized the recipe for ragù alla bolognese. Not that long ago, isn’t it? Since then, everyone tries to create their own delicious recipe. And, as typically for every person who likes to cook, everyone will assure you that he/she has the best recipe. Wink. Hmmm. You know what? I have the best recipe. Ha ha ha.
The secret to a perfect ragù alla bolognese
More, the ragù alla bolognese has to be prepared with love. In other words, it needs a couple of hours to get perfect. There is no haste when making this delicious sauce. The result will amaze you. Its aroma will waft through your entire home and get you fighting who gets to savour the first spoon of this rich sauce. Ragù alla bolognese is a real comfort food. It’s been like this in my childhood and it is still now.
When it comes to meat, you can choose between beef (most typical), pork and veal. It’s very important that the meat isn’t too lean. A bit of fat is good. In fact, meat has to have a fatty component, which allows it to withstand long cooking. Wink. I decided on using a mix of beef and pork (60:40).
Furthermore, you can use red or white wine to deglaze. I noticed that plenty of recipes use milk, as well. I swapped it with more wine, instead. So clever, isn’t it? Ha ha ha.
Last but not least, coming to the tomato sauce. The best tomato sauce to use is a puree. It should be thick and rich. A rustic, full-bodied tomato puree makes a rich and perfect ragù alla bolognese. A good ragù alla bolognese should never be too liquid.
Ingredients for tagliatele al ragù alla bolognese:
- 200 g tagliatelle
- olive oil
- 125 g pancetta or bacon (chopped)
- 1 carrot (diced)
- 2 celery stalks (diced)
- 1 red onion (diced)
- 300 g ground meat (I decided on 60% beef and 40% pork)
- 200 ml red wine
- 350 ml tomato puree (thick)
- salt and pepper
To begin, cut the pancetta into small cubes and then chop it. Wash the carrot and celery and dice them. Peel the onion and chop it into small-sized pieces as the carrot and celery.
Then, drizzle some olive oil in a pan or a frying pan with a higher edge. Once it gets hot, stir in the pancetta cubes and brown them.
Next, lower the heat, add the diced vegetables (onion, celery, carrot) and stir for 5-7 minutes or until semi-soft. At this point, stir in the ground meat and let it brown on high heat. This will take about 15-20 minutes. Make sure to stir continuously, to prevent the meat to burn or stick to the pan. After the meat is completely “sealed” and browned, deglaze it with half of the red wine. Let the alcohol evaporate and add the rest of the wine.
As soon the alcohol has evaporated, stir in the tomato puree. Then, turn the heat to medium-low and let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes. Add also 1 or 2 ladles of hot vegetable broth.
Cover the pan with a lid ajar and let it simmer for around 2 hours. Now and then give it a stir and add one ladle of vegetable broth. After the Bolognese sauce is thick and rich, season it with salt and pepper, cover with the lid and remove from the heat.
Now, cook the pasta. In a pot, boil some water, add two pinches of salt and all of the tagliatelle. Cook them for about 7-8 minutes or until al dente. Then, transfer them into the pan with the ragù alla bolognese and give it a gentle toss.
Finally, divide the tagliatelle al ragù alla bolognese between the plates and top with some more of this rich sauce. Yummy. A perfect Sunday lunch.
Enjoy.
