Villa Sentieri

Ragù alla Bolognese

I make garlic oil and keep it in a squeeze bottle by the stove. It comes in really handy for cooking and for flavoring finished dishes. You can use plain extra-virgin olive oil if you wish. In fact, that would be more traditional than garlic. For added flavor, sauté 150 grams of minced pancetta in the olive oil until the fat is rendered. Remove the cooked pancetta. Brown the meat in the oil. Add the cooked pancetta to the meat just before adding the wine. Ragù alla Bolognese should be served with a wide long pasta such as mafalde or linguine.

CoursePasta, Noodles, and Sauces
CuisineItalian

Servings	Prep Time
1 1/2liters	30minutes

Cook Time

5hours, mostly unattended

Servings	Prep Time
1 1/2liters	30minutes

Cook Time

5hours, mostly unattended

Ingredients

1kg ground beef15% fat (or half beef and half pork)
30ml garlic oil
500ml full-bodied red wine
60g butter
60g celerycut in brunoise (3 mm or 1/8 inch dice)
100g carrotcut in brunoise (3 mm or 1/8 inch dice)
100g onioncut in brunoise (3 mm or 1/8 inch dice)
3kg canned San Marzano tomatoespassed through a food mill (3 x 35 oz cans)
1 bay leafoptional
salt
black pepperfreshly ground

Instructions

Heat the butter in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan. Add the celery, carrot, and onion.
Sauté the celery, carrot, and onion in the butter until soft without browning. Reserve.
Heat the garlic oil, or extra-virgin olive oil, in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Add the beef and pork, if using.
While the meat is cooking, break it up into small bits.
Sauté the beef and pork, if using, in the garlic oil until a lot of fond develops.
Add the wine and boil it all away, loosening the fond from the bottom of the pan.
Pass the canned tomatoes through a food mill.
Add the sautéed vegetables, the tomatoes that have been passed through a food mill, and bay leaf, if using.
Season with salt and pepper.
Simmer 3 to 4 hours partially covered, stirring frequently, until reduced by 50%.

Recipe Notes