Marcella Hazan's Ragu
A classic. Wonderfully versatile.
SERVES
6
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
20
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
180
MINUTES
Ingredients
- 45g (1 1/2oz) butter
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp celery, finely chopped
2 tbsp carrot, finely chopped
350g (12oz) minced lean beef, preferably chuck or neck
salt
300ml (10fl oz) dry white wine
110ml (4fl oz) milk
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 x 400g (14oz) tin Italian tomatoes, roughly chopped with their own juice.
Method
In Italy they sometimes use an earthenware pot for making ragu, but I find that a heavy enamelled cast-iron casserole with high sides works very well.
Heat the butter with the oil and sauté the onion briefly over medium heat until just translucent.
Add the celery and carrot and cook gently for 2 minutes. Next add the minced beef, crumbling it in the pot with a fork.
Add salt to taste, stir, and cook only until the meat has lost its raw red colour (Marcella says that if it browns it will lose its delicacy.)
Add the wine, turn the heat up to medium high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the wine has evaporated.
Turn the heat down to medium, add in the milk and the freshly grated nutmeg, and cook until the milk has evaporated, stirring every now and then.
Next add the chopped tomatoes and stir well. When the tomatoes have started to bubble, turn the heat down to the very lowest so that the sauce cooks at the gentlest simmer - just an occasional bubble. I use a heat diffuser mat for this.
Cook uncovered for a minimum of 1 1/2 hours (better still 2 or even 3 hours), depending on how concentrated you like it, stirring occasionally.
If it reduces too much add a little water and continue to cook. When it is finally cooked, taste and correct seasoning.
Because of the length of time involved in cooking this, I feel it would be worthwhile to make at least twice the recipe.
