Ragu Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion, celery and carrot. Fry over a medium heat for 10 mins, stirring now and then, until softened and starting to colour.
• Stir in the mince and cook, breaking up any clumps of meat with a wooden spoon, until browned.
• Add the tomato purée, garlic and thyme, and cook for 1-2 mins more. Pour in the wine, if using, and increase the heat to boil off most of the alcohol. Reduce the heat, stir in the stock and season. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and leave to cook gently for 1 hr-1 hr 15 mins until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened.
• Remove the lid and continue cooking for 15 mins. Meanwhile, cook the pasta following pack instructions. Reserve a mugful of the cooking water, then drain the spaghetti and add to the ragu with the Parmesan. Toss well and add a little pasta water to help the sauce coat the spaghetti. Serve with a side salad and extra cheese, if you like.

Steps:

• Season the meat on all sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat a large heavy pot with a lid over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and brown the meat in batches until a crust forms, turning to ensure even color on all sides.
• Once one batch is done, set aside in a bowl or plate with a lip, add another fresh tablespoon of olive oil and continue until all the meat is brown.
• Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and sauté the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic until softened, about 3-4 minutes.
• Pour in the wine and let it boil off and reduce until barely any remains in the pan.
• Next, add the browned meat back to the pan, along with the tomato paste. Stir until tomato paste is coating all the ingredients and allow the paste to toast slightly.
• Pour in the tomatoes, stock, and herb bundle and stir, bring to a simmer and cover with a lid.
• Allow to simmer for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Alternatively, if your pot and lid are oven safe, cook in a 325˚F (170˚C) oven for 3 hours.
• Remove the herb bundle and beef shank.
• Pull the meat from the oxtail. Using a fork or tongs, discarding the bone and any extra cartilage or extra fat. Add the meat back to the ragu and stir.
• Skim off any extra fat from the top of the ragu.
• Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup (120 ml) of the pasta water before draining.
• Add a few ladlefuls of ragu, the pasta, and a splash of pasta water to a large pot, gently stir to coat the pasta in the ragu.
• Add a handful of cheese and stir to melt into the sauce.
• Garnish with more cheese and fresh parsley before serving.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Heat olive oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion, celery and carrots until soft. Add veal, pork, beef and pancetta, and cook until evenly brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Pour in milk, and cook until liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce and beef broth. Cover, and simmer 2 1/2 hours.

Steps:

• In a large, deep saute pan, heat olive oil over high heat and add carrots, celery, onions, and pancetta and cook, stirring, until vegetables are lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Add the beef and cook another 2 minutes. Add pork and cook until meat is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk together the tomato paste and 1 cup of the broth, and add it to meat. Place pan over low heat so that sauce just barely simmers. When broth has evaporated, add another cup. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally and adding a cup of broth when stew becomes dry, until all the broth has been added, about 3 hours.
• Add milk and butter, and continue to simmer very gently until milk has reduced and sauce is very thick, about 2 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper, and serve over tagliatelle or pappardelle with Parmigiano-Reggiano.
• Put all the ingredients in a pot and cover with water. Cook on low; it should boil after about 1 hour. Lower the heat to a low boil. Cook 3 more hours after it has started to boil. Pour the broth through a sieve and refrigerate. The next morning, take off all the fat. You should be left with about 2 quarts of broth. The meat can be served as a bollito with salsa verde.

Steps:

• Make brasciola: start with slice of cappicola, lay a slice of Parmesan on the cappicola, and follow with garlic and parsley. Roll each pile into cigar-shaped rolls, and hold in place with toothpicks.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, add ground beef, breadcrumbs, oregano, basil, garlic, salt, pepper, eggs, water and parmesan cheese and mix well. Form the meat mixture into 2-inch balls. Heat a large saute pan. Add enough oil to fry in. Add the balls and fry until evenly browned.
• In a large saute pan, add oil and heat. Fry the sausage until evenly browned.
• In a large saucepan, heat olive oil. Add onion, and saute until golden. Add brasciola rolls, meatballs, sausage, pureed tomatoes and crushed tomatoes. Simmer uncovered for one hour. Remove brasciola, meatballs and sausage and serve separately if desired. Taste ragu, and season with salt and pepper according to preference.

Steps:

• Prepping makes the whole experience more enjoyable.
• Finely chop pancetta.
• Finely dice carrots, onions and celery.
• Wash livers carefully, then flatten livers and chop.
• Warm milk and chicken stock.
• Peel Garlic.
• In a Dutch oven over medium heat add 2 tbsp oil with 2 tbsp butter. Add the onions and sauté until the onions are soft, 8 - 10 minute. Do not brown.
• Add the remaining butter and olive oil.
• Add carrots and celery, increase heat to med-high, sauté until they start to brown.
• Add pancetta, prosciutto, mortadella or your choice of any combo of meats and sauté one to two minutes.
• Remove mixture from pan to a bowl and reserve.
• Add chicken liver and stir frequently 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add ground beef or meat blend and brown (do not stew meat, if you need to, do so in stages)
• Return vegetable mix to Dutch oven.
• Add tomato paste to meat and vegetable mix and brown paste for about 10-15 minute important step, develops deep flavor.
• Add wine to deglaze, allow it to evaporate 4 - 7 minutes.
• Add 1 cup warm milk and pinch nutmeg, allow it to come to a boil, carefully reduce milk for 3 - 5 minutes.
• Add passata or whole tomatoes crushed my hand or potato masher.
• Add chicken stock and whole garlic cloves stir. Cover and continue to cook for 3 to 4 hours over very low heat or place into oven at 275 for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Several minutes before serving mash garlic cloves against wall of Dutch oven and add remaining milk continue to cook 10 minutes.

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
• Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often.