Sauces, Italian Cuisine
Ragu
Source: Jeff Smith; The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Italian PP 144-145
URL: http://nalbone.us/recipes/
Servings: 12
Yield: 3 quarts
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Start to Finish Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Note:
This is not to be confused with the canned product offered on the American market. That is not Ragu sauce at all!
Ragu is a simple sauce made almost entirely with meat and it is common throughout the Emilia-Romagna region - well, all of Northern Italy for that matter. There are as many recipes for this dish as there are Grandmas in the area. Tambaurini, one of the finest food stores in Bologna, makes something like the following. However, in a very famous restaurant in Parma, the chef uses little else than veal and butter. So enjoy, but this dish makes anything on which you put it into an entire meal.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 pound pancetta, coarsely ground
- 2 pounds pork butt, coarsely ground
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
- 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
- Heat a 10- to 12-quart heavy bottom stainless-steel kettle, and add the oil, garlic, celery, carrot, and onion. Sauté until the onion is transparent, about 10-15 minutes. Add the pancetta sauté 5 minutes. Add the veal and pork and brown until crumbly, about 5 minutes. Add the parsley, chicken stock, white wine, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil and simmer gently, partly covered, for 2 hours. Add the butter, cream, sage, and cheese and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Skim the fat from the top of the sauce. Salt and pepper to taste.
Copyright: (c) 1993 by The Frugal Gourmet, Inc
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 349 Calories; 27g Fat (70.6% calories from fat); 20g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 77mg Cholesterol; 1253mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 2 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 4 Fat.