Pedant’s Ragu

OK, so it takes ages to cook. Get over it. Cook it in these quantities and you will have enough sauce to have some now, and still put five good size containers in the freezer to keep you going for a bit. And it comes from Marcella, so you know it is gooooood.

• 1 large onion, very finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, grated
• 8 slices pancetta, finely chopped (optional, but I like it)
• several very generous slurps of olive oil
• a generous slodge of butter
• 1 kg of minced beef, the best you can get—or, if you are in Sydney, minced pork and veal from AC Butchers
• 1 bottle of dry white wine, less the healthy glass you keep to drink later
• 360ml milk
• grate of nutmeg, or roughly half a teaspoon
• 3 x 400g tins of tomatoes, roughly chopped in the tin

Using the heaviest based saucepan you have (or that good quality earthenware pot we all keep hidden somewhere), saute the onion in the butter and oil till translucent. Add the carrot and pancetta and cook gently for 2 minutes.

Turn up the heat and add the mince. Cook, while breaking it up with a fork. You only need it to lose its red raw colour, you do not need to brown it.

Pour in the wine, and let it bubble away on medium high, stirring occasionally until the wine has evaporated.

Turn the heat down to medium and add the milk and the nutmeg. Cook, stirring more frequently, until the milk has evaporated.

Add the tomatoes and stir thoroughly. When the sauce has started to bubble, turn the heat down until it cooks at the gentlest simmer. Let it cook, with just an occasional stir for luck, for three to four hours. Check for seasoning.

Serve proudly with spaghetti or tagliatelle, and freshly grated parmesan.

Posted by Kate in Beef, Pasta

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