Ragù Bolognese

Name: Ragù Bolognese
Yield: Serves 4–6, with pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: freshly grated nutmeg; salt and freshly cracked black pepper; salt and freshly cracked black pepper; 300 ml beef stock; 100 ml dry white wine; 2 tablespoons tomato purée; 100 g chicken livers, cleaned well and chopped; 350 g good-quality lean minced beef; 2 teaspoons thyme leaves; 1 stick of celery, finely chopped; 2 teaspoons chopped oregano; 1 onion, finely chopped; 1 carrot, finely chopped; 75 g pancetta or smoked bacon, cut into small dice; 75 g pancetta or smoked bacon, cut into small dice; 50 g unsalted butter

Preparation info

Serves
4–6
, with pasta

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Paul Gayler's Sauce Book

By Paul Gayler

Published 2015

About

Although I have not included many sauces cooked with meat or fish as part of the sauce, I felt I had to include this one, because it is so popular. Bolognese sauce as a name doesn’t actually exist in Italy, where it is just called a ragù sauce. Tradition has it that the longer the sauce cooks, the better the flavour.

Ingredients

50 g unsalted butter
75 g pancetta or smoked bacon, cut into small dice
1

Europe
Italy
Sauce
Gluten-free
Mediterranean

Method

Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based pan, add the pancetta and fry for 4–5 minutes, or until golden.
Add the onion, carrot, celery and herbs and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Stir in the minced beef, increase the heat and brown the meat well all over.
Add the chopped livers and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 5 m