As promised the real Italian deal... takes the afternoon to simmer and leaves splatter spots all over the stove, but it's good!
1 carrot, grated or minced
1 celery stalk minced
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 tbl of olive oil (good swirl around the pan)
saute in big pan until golden or onion gets translucent/clear
Add into pan
1/2 lb of ground pork or sausage
1 lb ground beef
After the meat is browed add
1/2 cup red or white wine**
After 2-3 minutes when alcohol evaporates add
28 oz of crushed tomatoes
28 oz of tomatoe sauce
1 can of tomatoe paste
1-2 tsp of salt & pepper
Add water to cans to swirl out residue and put into sauce about 1/4 of can. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat add
1 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese (parmesan)
5 fresh basil leaves broken to release oil
3 bay leaves
Stir and let simmer for 3-4 hours checking on occassionally and stirring. Before eating add
1 tsp of sugar, more parmigiano (1/4 cp) and salt and pepper taste.
You can use this sauce over ravioli or spaghetti and lasagne. ** You don't have to use the wine, but remember the alcohol cooks out. Romans use white in the Ragu but bolognese tradition holds with the red. I have tried at different times the red and the white wine in the sauce, and the sauce without either. And frankly the sauce just taste better with the red. Plus the red has the added health benefits of reveratrol. Same with using REAL Parmigiano instead of Kraft. You can find the hard bricks, from the Italian city of Parma where it gets its name, in the specialty cheese section of the grocery stores, and the red or white cooking wine in the grocery store near the vinegars. Happy simmering and Bon appetite!
4 comments:
I am going to try this sauce this week for my meal group. It looks so good and easy. Thanks for sharing! What is a good olive oil to use here in the States? I guess I don't know enough about olive oil to know what makes it good or not. Please share all that you know for those of us who are uneducated on these things. Kim
Bertoloni or De Cecco are fantastic brands but really if you get any type VIRGIN olive oil, first pressed it will taste great. Don't fall for the "light" version, you lose all the benefits.
Okay, I made it! I doubled the recipe and divided it for three families. It was really good. I'm wondering if I put in a little bit too much water though. I filled each of the four 28 oz cans half way with water like your recipe said. It did cook down but wondering if it should have been a little thicker. The tomato paste was just those little tiny cans. Is that the size you get in Italy? I thought it was fabulous. I used red wine (there was only one brand at Winco) so my choice was made easily for me. Thanks so much.
Whoops, sorry that should have been 1/4 can of water NOT 1/2. Glad you tried it tho!
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