Cut, cut, cut: Beautiful little Brunoise.

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The best ragù alla bolognese

18.5.2016

Italian cuisine offers a wide variety of excellent recipes. One of my favorite dishes is ragù alla bolognese. Again, with this recipe, using more different ingredients doesn't make it better. And make sure you take enough time. Without time, no good ragù.

Introduction

I regularly cook ragù alla bolognese. Either as a base for lasagna or with pasta. Fresh or out of the package. That is, the pasta, not the sauce. The most important requirement for the Bolognese sauce is enough time. Whereby you don't have to spend the time in the kitchen yourself. It is enough to leave the ragù in the kitchen.

And as with many recipes, the Bolognese doesn't get better by using more different ingredients. I.e. don't use paprika, red wine, garlic, bay leaves or hot peppers. Of course, feel free to experiment with them, but when it comes to the best ragù, don't.

The best recipe is inspired by Marcella Hazan's The Classic Italian Kitchen. As a bit of a warning, there are no pictures in the book. It is, like the recipes themselves, of classic simplicity. It is a veritable treasure trove of Italian specialties.

The ingredients

Serves 8. It is worth cooking a larger quantity. The sauce can be used the next day. Experience shows that it is gone faster than you would like.

Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
80 to 100 g cooking butter
150 g chopped onions
6 to 9 stalks of celery
8 to 16 medium carrots
800 g beef
salt
pepper, freshly ground
2 dl whole milk
nutmeg, freshly grated
4 dl dry white wine
1.2 kg chopped pelati (canned tomatoes)

Preparation

Timing

I find it ideal to prepare the ragù in the morning right after breakfast or before brunch. Because if there's one thing I've learned, it's that time is essential for quality and flavor development. For me, the bolognese likes to cook sometimes eight hours on the lowest flame. There's something relaxing about the preparation.

Material

The ragù works best in a heavy iron pot. I recommend the . The heavy saucepan not only looks nice, you cook excellent in it. The heat distributes evenly over the entire outer shell. The liquid drips from the lid back onto the food. You don't need a lid for the bolognese. However, the thing is quite heavy and has nothing to lose in the dishwasher. It's best to wash the pot only with hot water. For the carrots and celery, the is ideal. It should be sharp enough. And for the onions, I prefer to use the serrated . It's best to have a small supply of these knives at home. Many also swear by large special knives, sharpened at midnight by a horde of pretty girls and folded fifty times by a Japanese master blacksmith. This is all very impressive, but I think I would only hurt myself with it and in no time a finger would be in the ragù...

The cooking process

put the olive oil, butter and chopped onions in the pot. Sauté the onions until translucent. You should allow about five minutes for this. Then add the chopped vegetables to the pot. You stir it until it is coated with the butter. The heat can be turned up fairly high so that there is enough heat for step 3 to cook the meat.
Add the chopped beef along with enough salt and pepper. Stir the meat carefully until it is no longer raw. According to Hazan, the salt is important to allow the water to escape from the meat, thus adding flavor to the sauce. Add the milk and let it evaporate completely, stirring constantly. Add a pinch of nutmeg. 5. Add the wine and let it evaporate slowly. 6. Add the tomatoes and stir well. Once the sauce is bubbling, reduce the heat to the minimum and simmer for at least three hours. The sauce should always be simmering gently. If it gets too dry, you can just add a little more (hot) water. Do not put a lid on, the water should evaporate slowly so that the sauce becomes denser.

Variations and notes

I use (much) larger quantities of vegetables than in the original recipe. Above in each case the larger number. This is for several reasons: I like lots of vegetables in the ragù, it's healthier, and it's cheaper. You can also prepare the sauce without meat without any problems, but slightly increase the amount of vegetables in each case. Even vegan is possible without problems. To do this, use more olive oil instead of butter and omit the milk.
The larger amount of ingredients above fills a . That is, more will not find room in it.
The vegetables should be cut into nice brunoise (small pieces). You can vary the size depending on your preference. Depending on what kind of consistency you want. I find a finer consistency more suitable for lasagna. And coarser pieces better with pasta. And yes, smaller brunoise just give more work too.
The cocotte is also ideal for a good roast, goulash and more. Plus it lasts forever, not like the Teflon stuff. Just never put it in the dishwasher, but wash it briefly by hand under hot water. Without detergent. And it keeps fit. After all, it weighs several kilos.

Side dishes

If you are really serious about time, you can use the ragù to make a fine lasagna with homemade dough. With a freshly prepared bechamel sauce. Otherwise, it tastes excellent simply with fresh or ready-made pasta. In any case, you should always have a large piece of Parmesan cheese on hand. And as the icing on the cake, a jar of spicy Italian peperoncini paste.

Products used

Staub Cocotte (28 cm, Casserole + Stewpot, Cast iron)

Pots + Pans

CHF207.–

Staub Cocotte

28 cm, Casserole + Stewpot, Cast iron

Kitchen knives

CHF4.50

Victorinox Paring Knife

8 cm

Kitchen knives

Victorinox Swiss Classic Paring Knife

8 cm

Knife sharpeners

CHF18.70

Victorinox Kitchen steel

Peelers

Kisag Star Inox

Chopping boards

Kuhn Rikon Chopping boards Set

Header image: Cut, cut, cut: Beautiful little Brunoise.

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The best ragù alla bolognese

Introduction