Ragù (Italian Meat Sauce)
MAIN DISH / BEEF
Contributed by Marco Loggia
Associate Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School
Director, Pain and Neuroinflammation Imaging Laboratory
Associate Director, Center for Integrative Pain Neuroimaging
Servings: 12
Ragù goes wonderfully well with any kinds of pasta (including lasagne), but my
favorite pairing is with tagliatelle.
Ingredients
1 onion
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2 lbs ground beef (not leaner than 85% if possible)
1 cup white wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups crushed tomatoes
2-3 cups of vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
Method
1. Finely chop onion, carrots and celery.
2. In a saucepan, heat oil and butter over medium-to-high.
3. When the butter starts bubbling, toss in the chopped vegetables. Sautée for ~5
mins, until the onions become translucent.
4. Put the ground beef into the saucepan with the veggies. Mix well so that the
beef breaks up and the veggies are well incorporated. Cook for about 10 mins,
until all beef is cooked, and the juices it released have evaporated.
5. Add the wine and cook until it evaporates (~3 mins).
6. Add tomato paste, the crushed tomatoes and the broth.
7. When the sauce starts bubbling, lower the heat to low-to-medium, and let cook
for at least 1 hour, but the more the better (up to 4 hours).
8. During this last phase, taste, adjust for salt and pepper and, if need be, add
some water or broth if the sauce is getting too dry.
The original recipe calls for a cup of whole milk to be added at the end,
but I usually leave that out. Can be stored in the fridge for a few days, and
in the freezer for several weeks.
This is, in my mind, the ultimate Italian comfort food and reminds me of my
childhood. In these times of social isolation and travel limitation, cooking and eating
this kind of food makes me feel a little closer to my family back in Milan.
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