The Ultimate Bolognese Sauce

[sammy]

This makes for a great dish to discuss because there are limitless variations with several tasting good. Mine (basically marcella's) is similar to Sam's except for a few differences. I go heavier on the carrots and put in pancetta early on and render the fat before I put in the rest of the meat. I don't put in the parmigiana rinds but I'm definitely going to in the next batch as that sounds like a great idea. I use a whole can of tomatoes but it still doesn't end up too tomatoey because I usually make a pretty big pot of sauce. I can't remember if Marcella calls for tomato paste. I'm with you on the nutmeg and butter.

The last important point is to use a wide pasta like tagliatelle or even torn up sheets of lasagne.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I'm a Veal and Cream woman.

Give it to me with young meat, rich and creamy.

[itch22]

The last important point is to use a wide pasta like tagliatelle or even torn up sheets of lasagne.

I prefer to use tagliatelle, but at times I use fuscilli, rigatoni*, or rotini*. Sometimes I even use ravioli stuffed with ricotta and spinich.

*In the wide array of pasta types I think I got those two right.

[slkinsey]

Fresh pasta is an absolute requirement for ragù Bolognese. Dry pasta simply won't do ("non serve" as they say in Italy). Tagliatelle is my favorite with ragù Bolognese, but I bet it's good with papardelle too. Fresh lasagne also sounds interesting.

[slkinsey]

Sometimes I even use ravioli stuffed with ricotta and spinach.

This is very popular in Italian-American preparations. Personally, I don't prefer to serve delicately flavored ravioli with something like ragù Bolognese because I think the flavor of the ravioli are lost in the sauce.

[bpearis]

Isn't there a plaque of the official recipe on some government building in Bologna?

[therdogg]

Instead of tearing lasagne noodles, just make a lasagne with bechamel sauce, which by the time you've made the bolognese and are preparing to tear sheets of lasagne is hardly much more work but is delish, especially if you're serving someone who's only had the american marinara-too-much-cheese-n-sausage version. Making your own pasta is necessary for delicate flavor.

[bushey]

Jeez, this is double-weird. I made Bolognese last night and hadn't even read this thread.

I prefer beef and veal, but beef and pork will do in a pinch. If I have lots of time I cook the sauce slowly and let all of each liquid cook out before adding the next. I like bay leaf and a bit of tomato paste. I use a potato masher to get the right texture. Definitely cream, added a little bit at a time to get the consistency and flavor I want. Fresh grated nutmeg and black pepper right before serving. I also like to add some frozen peas at the end because it reminds me of a favorite dish at a local restaueant, Rigatoni alla Nonna.

[Jason Perlow]

Isn't there a plaque of the official recipe on some government building in Bologna?

Yes, I think there is. It was on an episode of Mario Eats Italy, I wish I wrote it down.

[Jason Perlow]

Batali Ragu alla Bolognese recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/re...6_12058,00.html

I trust Mario not to screw with it, so its probably pretty authentic.

[SobaAddict70]

I've seen versions that call for cooking cubes of beef and pork first, then shredding the meat by hand. Also, one version (Julia Della Croce's, unsure as to which of her cookbooks) calls for mortadella or other type of sausage. I'd imagine that testa would work as well.

Soba

[bpearis]

Isn't there a plaque of the official recipe  on some government building in Bologna?

Yes, I think there is. It was on an episode of Mario Eats Italy, I wish I wrote it down.

...and the width of tagliatelle is directly proportionate to the height of one of Bologna's towers. Here's the recipe from that episode of Mario Eats Italy. It's somewhat different and more detailed than other Mario recipe Jason listed.

Edited December 16, 2003 by bpearis (log)

[FoodMan]

I always use Mario Batali’s recipe:

Carrots, celery, onion, beef, veal, pancetta, white wine, milk, a little tomato paste, in this order (I think). The result is a nice thick pink meat sauce, not tomato-y at all.

Elie

[Jason Perlow]

The Batali recipe above that I linked to calls for "Brodo" which is simply just meat or veal broth I think.

[badthings]

Tagliatelle or lasagne only.

Marcella's 3 essential points:

1. The meat must be sautéed just barely long enough to lose its raw color. It must not brown or it will lose its delicacy. 2. It must be cooked in milk before the tomatoes are added. This keeps the meat creamier and sweeter tasting. 3. It must cook at the merest simmer for a long, long time. The minimum is 3 1/2 hours; 5 is better.

[bilrus]

Batali Ragu alla Bolognese recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/re...6_12058,00.html

I trust Mario not to screw with it, so its probably pretty authentic.

The stuff he serves at Babbo is pretty damn good - purely authentic or not.

[bpearis]

It must cook at the merest simmer for a long, long time. The minimum is 3 1/2 hours; 5 is better.

Seems like Sam Kinsey's crock pot idea would indeed be the perfect way to handle that last requirement. I'm officially hungry.

[Adam Balic]

Beef and pork, veal if I can get it. I cook the sauce for about four hours, so the ground beef breaks down, while the pork maintains texture. Always, red wine and milk, sometimes chicken livers. Best with wide pasta. Depending on the sauce, I may corrct for sweetness level with a pinch of sugar. I use canned tomatos and they are often not sweet enough.

One tip is that when about to serve, scoop off about a cup of the very fatty surface sauce and place this into the pasta pot (now lacking pasta and water) and "fry" the sauce on a high heat. Mixe the pasta with re-fried sauce and add the other sauce seperately. This frying step gives you an extra level of flavour and the fats split from the sauce and coat the pasta strands.

[slkinsey]

Beef and pork, veal if I can get it. I cook the sauce for about four hours, so the ground beef breaks down, while the pork maintains texture. Always, red wine and milk, sometimes chicken livers.

Tasty! Am I the only one who likes the ragù of chicken livers, chicken gizzards and other unmentionables that goes into the Marchegiano specialty Vicigrassi?

[Adam Balic]

Beef and pork, veal if I can get it. I cook the sauce for about four hours, so the ground beef breaks down, while the pork maintains texture. Always, red wine and milk, sometimes chicken livers.

Tasty! Am I the only one who likes the ragù of chicken livers, chicken gizzards and other unmentionables that goes into the Marchegiano specialty Vicigrassi?

99% of Vicigrassi lack all the interesting bits and end up being an anemic version of Lasagne al Forno.

One version of the basic recipe uses Vin Santo in the pasta, which is good, but better used in the sauce.

[tommy]

adam brings up something that makes me think: what are some of the actual goals of this sauce?

every time i've made it, it never meets my expectations. i think this is because my expectations are way out of wack. adam mentions the beef "breaking down". is this one of the goals?

[FoodMan]

what are some of the actual goals of this sauce?

Taste very good with pasta

Elie

[itch22]

what are some of the actual goals of this sauce?

Taste very good with pasta

Elie

I agree! However, with all of these variations I wonder what acctually defines a bolognese sauce. Definitions aside, all of these variations are great tasting!

[Adam Balic]

adam brings up something that makes me think: what are some of the actual goals of this sauce?

every time i've made it, it never meets my expectations. i think this is because my expectations are way out of wack. adam mentions the beef "breaking down". is this one of the goals?

Tell what your expectations are and I will tell you how they are wrong.

Didn't you go to Italy recently? What did you think of the Ragu there?

[slkinsey]

One thing I think is a common mistaken ragù expectation among Americans is that it will be tomatoey.