September 12, 2009

Ragu alla Bolognese (Bolognese Sauce)



Ragu! I just like the sound of this word! So exotic, so European!

One thing I love about this recipe is its flexibility. You can make a delicious stew with big cut of chunky meat, served with mashed potato or rice. With minced meat, you can make an amazing pasta sauce. Leftover sauce could be eaten on toast for lunch too!

I do recommend to make a large pot of sauce, it freezes really well.   

(serves 6)

Ingredients:
 2 tbsp olive oil
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 lb minced beef
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups white wine
4 tomatos, chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups beef broth
a sprig of fresh rosemary
a small bunch of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup cream
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
a bunch of fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Directions:
Heat oil in a large, heavy-based suacepan over medium heat. Add carrot, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 mins or until soft.


Add beef with pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 5 mins or until beef begins to brown. Add wine to deglaze the pan, and cook for 8 mins until most of the wine is evaporated.

Add in chopped tomato and tomato paste. Simmer for 10 mins until the liquid is much absorbed into the meat.

Pour in beef broth, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. Put the lid on and cook for 1 1/2 hours.

Stir in cream and cheese. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with pasta.

22 comments:

My Man's Belly said...

I agree. Ragu recipes are so flexible. It's fun to play with them. The only downside is when you find a combination that you really like and realize you didn't write it down. lol

Kelly at Crock tease said...

I love the idea of leftover sauce on toast. I'm a fan of the savory breakfast.

Andrea@WellnessNotes said...

This is one of the best comfort foods to me... I love making a big pot on a cool fall afternoon...

ann low said...

This is really appetizing, I love it!

Danica's Daily said...

That looks incredible and makes me totally want to dig in :)

My Little Space said...

This sounds really delicious and useful for multiple cooking, juz perfect for a cooking mom! My family doesn't take red meat, so I'm using chicken meat instead. Thank you for sharing, Lulu! Have a nice weekend!

Divina Pe said...

This is my nephew's favorite sauce for his pasta. I just love the idea of making it in big batches so you can have it anytime done in many different ways. Thanks for the recipe.

genny said...

good good sauce.. but the thyme in the sauce ragu 'bolognese no!: DDDD here the original recipe
Artusi http://cercalibro.myblog.it/media/01/01/1031289933.pdf

thank for visite....and sorry for my english

Jessie said...

very good bolognese sauce, I love a simple classic italian meal. It always succeeds in making my taste buds happy.

Xenia said...

Mmmmm... I wish I wasn't so lazy that I just open up a can of sauce instead of making something that looks like this.

Thanks for stopping by! I had actually visited your blog already but wasn't bright enough to figure out at first how to follow. Got it now, though. :)

wasabiprime@hotmail.com said...

Beautiful. Would love to put this on some roasted veggies. Or just eat it with a spoon!!

Blackswan said...

Nice pix & recipe! Thks for d add :) Cheers!

GladysKock said...

I love versatile sauce, which can be paired the many others, at least cooking is no longer a stressful chore. BTW, I agree with you that Ragu sounds exotic, where do the word comes from?

Suzanne said...

Oh my gosh...looks so good!!!!! I am subscribing so I don't miss a meal:-) I can't follow for some reason but when I come back, I will!
Suzanne

Veronica Lee said...

Sounds yummy!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!!

Johnna Knows Good Food: Yum Yum, Gimme Some! said...

Looks good and simple...thanks for posting!

Family Cuisine Food And Recipe said...

Thank you for sharing. Cheers !

Opus #6 said...

Now that looks REALLY good. I'm making pasta tonight, too.

Unknown said...

How delicious! I totally want to come over for dinner!

Melissa said...

That is really perfect. You should think about joining us in the Cooking Italy group hosted by Spinach Tiger. (www.spinachtiger.com). We are cooking our way through Marcella Hazan's book...Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.

Jophine said...

Hey, I made it tonite and we love it. I made a large pot as u suggested too. Tks for sharing the recipe.

Chili said...

Will have to try this! Sounds like a crowd pleaser!