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PASTA

Ragu Bolognese
Emilia-Romagna
Preparation - Medium
Serves 4

There are as many variations of Bolognese Sauce as there are cooks - in English, French, German, etc.. . The classic "Ragu Bolognese" sauce, as set forth in the archives of the Bologna chapter of the "L'Accademia Italiana della Cucina" is made with a mixture of minced or ground meats, tomato concentrate or paste - not whole tomatoes - and cream. The meat shines through as the prime ingredient in this version of the sauce, and the pasta is often served with several tablespoons of the sauce nested in the middle.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons sweet butter
• about 2 ounces lean prosciutto or lean salt pork, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
• 1/3 cup grated carrots
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 1 pound mixed beef, pork and veal, in equal amounts, and ground together
• 1 ounce dry mushrooms, soaked in tepid water for 20 minutes, squeezed dry, and chopped
• 1 1/2 cups dry red wine
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• l teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Ireshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons flour
• 5 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, drained, with seeds removed, and chopped
• 2 cups Brodo di Manzo (Beef Broth)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

  Sauté pan, pasta pot.

MELT butter in saucepan. Add prosciutto or salt pork and saute' over low heat until browned.

ADD onions, carrots, and celery and cook, over low heat, stirring for about 6 or 7 minutes, or until onions are golden.

ADD the meat and mushrooms. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, over moderate heat. Mix in wine, parsley, marjoram, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg. Stir and cook until wine is almost evaporated.

REMOVE from heat and slowly mix in flour. Replace on heat, cook for brief moment only, then add Tomato Pulp. Continue cooking over low heat for 1 hour, adding Beef Broth from time to time and stirring occasionally. When sauce has almost finished cooking, add heavy cream, if desired.

From:
Northern Italian Cooking
Francesco Ghedini
Hawthorne

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