MARIO BATALI: Ragu bolognese, a building block of great Italian dishes

Q: What’s the difference between ragu and ragu bolognese?

A: A ragu can be any meat mixture, from anywhere on the Italian peninsula (or elsewhere, I suppose). Ragu bolognese is specific to the city of Bologna in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna, where I lived and learned the subtle art of ragu at Trattoria La Volta in Borgo Capanne.

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Ragu bolognese is made differently by every mother or grandmother or son who learns it. But all practitioners follow a fairly basic formula.

Start with soffritto (or, as the French call it, mirepoix) – a combination of carrots, celery and onion – and chop very finely. Because this recipe originated in Emilia Romagna, the gateway to the north, we heat the mixture with equal parts butter and oil (butter being the lipid of choice in the north, olive oil in the south). When the butter emulsifies, the combination creates a velvet-like texture. Be sure to use an enamel-coated heavy-bottomed pot so that the soffritto doesn’t brown. Sweat the vegetables, stirring constantly, to prevent them from browning. If the mixture burns or scorches, toss it and start from scratch.

I use three kinds of meat in my ragu: veal, pork and beef. You could just as easily use all beef (or all pork or all chicken), but the combination adds a depth of flavor that I love. Have the butcher grind your meat of choice a bit bigger than he would sausage so it has a bit of a chew. Cook the meat with the vegetables until it’s brown so as to render the fat completely out. As the water evaporates and is replaced by the rendered fat, the temperature of the pot will increase and the meat will brown in its own uniquely delicious way.

A true ragu bolognese does not include canned or fresh tomatoes – just a tube of tomato paste. The only liquids used are milk and white wine to add richness and layers upon layers of flavor.

Ragu bolognese is an essential building block for some of the greatest dishes in the canon of Italian cooking, but few rival the simple preparation of Tagliatelle al Ragu: flat noodles dressed with the condiment and topped with Parmigiano Reggiano. Perfection.

Tagliatelle al Ragu Bolognese

Serves 6 as a first course.

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1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

2 medium onions, finely chopped

4 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

3/4 pound ground veal

3/4 pound ground pork

3/4 pound ground beef

1 (8-ounce) can tomato paste

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1 cup milk

1 cup dry white wine

Kosher salt, to taste

1 pound tagliatelle

Parmigiana Reggiano, for serving

In a 6- to 8-quart enamel-coated heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onions, celery and carrots and sweat over medium heat until vegetables are translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the veal, pork, and beef and stir into vegetables. Brown over high heat, stirring to keep the meat from sticking. Add the tomato paste, milk and wine. Using a wooden spoon, scrape at the bottom of the pan to dislodge browned bits of meat. Bring just to a boil, and then simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Season with salt.

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt.

Transfer 2 cups of the ragu to a 12- to 14-inch saute pan and heat gently over medium heat. Cook the tagliatelle for 2 minutes less than the package instructions indicate. Drain the pasta, then add it to the pan with the ragu and toss over medium heat until it is coated and the sauce is dispersed, about 1 minute. Divide evenly among six to eight warmed bowls. Grate Parmigiano Reggiano over each bowl and serve immediately.

(Mario Batali is the award-winning chef behind 24 restaurants, including Eataly, Del Posto and his flagship Greenwich Village enoteca, Babbo. In this column, Mario answers questions submitted via social media and by people he encounters daily in Downtown Manhattan. Follow Mario on Twitter @mariobatali. Keep asking!)

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Categories: Recipe