Ragu is something that is at the heart of most italian regions, cities, towns, and families; each with its own signature. since i moved to Italy a few months ago, there are two that stick out in my mind. Vincisgrassi: this is a lasagna from the Marche region. the tomato ragu used here draws its unique flavors from the livers, hearts, gizzards, and coxcombs used in the sauce. Ground beef as also used, but mainly to bulk up the sauce and balance out the strong organmeats. The second is a duck ragu. Its nothing fancy, just a simple tomato ragu, but using small diced duck meat; finished with a healthy handful of grated Parm. Its phenomenal. i'm a fan on canned tomatoes, but certain dishes call for paste either out of tradition or necessity, and there are some incredible tomato pastes out there. to each his own.
