Today is the day England is easing its lockdown measures. However, non essential travel and social distancing is still required. Many of us will still be staying in, and many of us will be self isolating and shielding.The lockdown has meant many of us are home cooking, both as a means of eating something good, but also to spend time in the crafting of dishes. Cooking is a creative act, but it can also be a form of meditative and immersive therapy. I've long thought it was good for the soul... and gives you a reward at the end of something delicious to eat!
This is my recipe for ragu sauce. I won't call it Bolognese on two counts. Firstly, Italian purists have a very specific notion of what a Bolognese sauce is. I doubt any self-respecting Italian would consider this recipe as authentic. The second reason is that British people have their own idea of what Bolognese is, which is something equally heartfelt. I recall when Mary Berry shared her recipe with white wine and single cream included and there was a significant British backlash. I thought she had suggested two pretty useful additions, but I was clearly in the minority.
This ragu has a sofrito base of celery, onion and carrot. These provide the flavour base for the meat. Please do dice these extremely small, as you don't want chunks of carrot or celery in when eating the ragu. I add red wine for depth of flavour, and milk to make the browned minced meat as moist and soft as possible. These additions shocked some people I have discussed them with, especially the milk, but trust me, it works. I used fresh tomatoes because I find tinned are a little too acidic in flavour for me, and add passata for extra fluid.
This ragu will make enough for 10 individual servings, or five meals for two... I am sure it can be used for a couple of family meals. We ate the first portion on the day we cooked it and froze the rest, split into portions of two. We have been defrosting the ragu overnight the day before eating it, reheating it until it is piping hot. I do not recommend reheating from frozen.
What about the pasta? Italians tend to serve their Bolognese with tagliatelle. The British tend to use spaghetti. I prefer shapes of pasta designed to catch the sauce. My favourite is radiatore (shaped like old school iron radiators) and second favourite is conghigle (pasta shells). But you can use whichever pasta you like, as long as it is cooked al dente. The pasta made by a bronze die is something to seek out, as the texture is improved by the manufacturing process, and this helps grasp the sauce. Of course, having saved yourself effort later by making so much of the meaty sauce in advance, you could always make a lasagne with one of your batches of ragu.
You will notice I mention using nutmeg when serving. If you freeze the ragu, do not add the nutmeg before freezing. Only add it when you reheat the ragu before serving. You want an aroma of freshly grated nutmeg to give an added dimension to the ragu sauce.
Lockdown freezer ragu sauce
Makes enough for 10 individual servings
Ingredients
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
170g pancetta (either cubed, or slices cut into small squares)
2 onions, peeled and finely diced (3mm-5mm)
3 sticks of celery, peeled to get rid of the stringy bits and very finely diced (3mm)
3 carrots, peeled to get rid of the stringy bits and very finely diced (3mm)
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and very finely diced (2-3mm if possible)
500g minced pork
600g minced beef
7 tomatoes, chopped (I did not bother to peel them)
500ml red wine
300ml milk
1 pack passata
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Nutmeg (optional and only when serving)
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. When heated, add the pancetta and cook on a medium heat until it is becoming a little crispy at the edges.
2. Add the onions and fry for 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 3 or so minutes, ensuring you can smell its aroma.
4. Add the celery and the carrot dice. Cook for 5 minutes.
5. Now add the minced meat, and if needed raise the heat a little. You need to brown the meat all over, which means you will need to keep it moving. Keep stirring and turning everything over, until it has changed colour.
6. When it has changed colour, add the red wine. You need to raise the heat now to boil off the excess alcohol, and you will need to keep it moving all the while.
7. When the wine looks like it has evaporated, you add the milk. You will then need to cook on a medium heat for around 12 minutes. Keep stirring every now and then, to ensure the milk is soaked up by the mince.
8. Now add the tomatoes and passata, and raise the heat to bring it to the boil. When it is boiling, put the heat on low, as low as your hob will manage to maintain.
9. Patience is now your challenge, you need to cook for at least one hour, and if not, an hour and a half or two hours. You want it to be a homogenous sauce, all blended and melded together.
10. Taste and season as required to your taste.
This ragu will serve 10-12 people or perhaps make 5 separate meals for a couple. I divided it up into freezer containers and chilled and frozen different portions of the ragu.
If you have a portion now, add a little sprinkling of nutmeg as you serve up. Otherwise, only add the nutmeg on reheating.
This is my recipe for ragu sauce. I won't call it Bolognese on two counts. Firstly, Italian purists have a very specific notion of what a Bolognese sauce is. I doubt any self-respecting Italian would consider this recipe as authentic. The second reason is that British people have their own idea of what Bolognese is, which is something equally heartfelt. I recall when Mary Berry shared her recipe with white wine and single cream included and there was a significant British backlash. I thought she had suggested two pretty useful additions, but I was clearly in the minority.
This ragu has a sofrito base of celery, onion and carrot. These provide the flavour base for the meat. Please do dice these extremely small, as you don't want chunks of carrot or celery in when eating the ragu. I add red wine for depth of flavour, and milk to make the browned minced meat as moist and soft as possible. These additions shocked some people I have discussed them with, especially the milk, but trust me, it works. I used fresh tomatoes because I find tinned are a little too acidic in flavour for me, and add passata for extra fluid.
This ragu will make enough for 10 individual servings, or five meals for two... I am sure it can be used for a couple of family meals. We ate the first portion on the day we cooked it and froze the rest, split into portions of two. We have been defrosting the ragu overnight the day before eating it, reheating it until it is piping hot. I do not recommend reheating from frozen.
What about the pasta? Italians tend to serve their Bolognese with tagliatelle. The British tend to use spaghetti. I prefer shapes of pasta designed to catch the sauce. My favourite is radiatore (shaped like old school iron radiators) and second favourite is conghigle (pasta shells). But you can use whichever pasta you like, as long as it is cooked al dente. The pasta made by a bronze die is something to seek out, as the texture is improved by the manufacturing process, and this helps grasp the sauce. Of course, having saved yourself effort later by making so much of the meaty sauce in advance, you could always make a lasagne with one of your batches of ragu.
You will notice I mention using nutmeg when serving. If you freeze the ragu, do not add the nutmeg before freezing. Only add it when you reheat the ragu before serving. You want an aroma of freshly grated nutmeg to give an added dimension to the ragu sauce.
Lockdown freezer ragu sauce
Makes enough for 10 individual servings
Ingredients
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
170g pancetta (either cubed, or slices cut into small squares)
2 onions, peeled and finely diced (3mm-5mm)
3 sticks of celery, peeled to get rid of the stringy bits and very finely diced (3mm)
3 carrots, peeled to get rid of the stringy bits and very finely diced (3mm)
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and very finely diced (2-3mm if possible)
500g minced pork
600g minced beef
7 tomatoes, chopped (I did not bother to peel them)
500ml red wine
300ml milk
1 pack passata
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Nutmeg (optional and only when serving)
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. When heated, add the pancetta and cook on a medium heat until it is becoming a little crispy at the edges.
2. Add the onions and fry for 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 3 or so minutes, ensuring you can smell its aroma.
4. Add the celery and the carrot dice. Cook for 5 minutes.
5. Now add the minced meat, and if needed raise the heat a little. You need to brown the meat all over, which means you will need to keep it moving. Keep stirring and turning everything over, until it has changed colour.
6. When it has changed colour, add the red wine. You need to raise the heat now to boil off the excess alcohol, and you will need to keep it moving all the while.
7. When the wine looks like it has evaporated, you add the milk. You will then need to cook on a medium heat for around 12 minutes. Keep stirring every now and then, to ensure the milk is soaked up by the mince.
8. Now add the tomatoes and passata, and raise the heat to bring it to the boil. When it is boiling, put the heat on low, as low as your hob will manage to maintain.
9. Patience is now your challenge, you need to cook for at least one hour, and if not, an hour and a half or two hours. You want it to be a homogenous sauce, all blended and melded together.
10. Taste and season as required to your taste.
This ragu will serve 10-12 people or perhaps make 5 separate meals for a couple. I divided it up into freezer containers and chilled and frozen different portions of the ragu.
If you have a portion now, add a little sprinkling of nutmeg as you serve up. Otherwise, only add the nutmeg on reheating.
Thank you for this, Snig. I love nutmeg in ragu. It gives a whole new warm spicy element. I hadn't thought of adding it at the end though.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever tried adding plain chocolate? A few chunks added towards the end of cooking is a bit like the monter au beurre technique of giving a smoothness and gloss, but with *added chocolate*. Two beautiful words.
ReplyDelete