This is the true ragù as made by generations of cooks in Bologna. At least, it is according to Anna Nanni, the sfoglina (pasta maker) and supervisor of ragù production at Trattoria da Amerigo, a Michelin-starred restaurant in the little town of Savigno, tucked into the hills of the Colline Bolognese, south of Bologna itself. Other cooks may have other interpretations: Some say milk, some say no milk; some say pork and veal, some say pork, sausage, and beef. It all depends on what your very own mother and grandmother and great-grandmother did. One thing to keep in mind, however: According to everyone we talked with, a true ragù bolognese is not at all a tomato sauce, although it may have more or less tomatoes in it. But think of it as a meat sauce and you will come closer to the truth.
The simplicity of this preparation belies the rich and complex meld of flavors that results from a long, slow cooking process during which everything comes together. In the finest ragù, you should not be able to taste meat or tomatoes or carrots or wine but an amalgam, a symphony, in which the whole is far, far greater than its parts.
In Bologna ragù is usually served either with the region’s handmade egg tagliatelle (see here) or in a multilayered lasagna, the pasta layers as thin as sheets of silk (see our directions for handmade pasta here, and for assembling lasagna here). You could also serve it with an excellent artisanal pasta secca such as pappardelle, lasagnette, or short pastas such as casarecce or cavatappi.
Note that Anna’s beginning soffritto—finely minced onion, carrot, and celery—is cooked very slowly in oil and butter over low heat for a very long time, up to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. This, she feels, gives a richly caramelized vegetable base to the sauce, vital to its delicious success.
MAKES 4 CUPS RAGÙ, ENOUGH FOR 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup finely minced yellow onion
½ cup finely minced carrot
½ cup finely minced celery (use the darkest green stalks)
½ pound lean ground pork
½ pound lean ground beef
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 slices pancetta, very finely minced
½ cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons double concentrate of tomato
One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, with their juice
1 cup whole milk
Combine the oil and butter and set over low heat until the butter has melted. Then add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook very gently, stirring with a wooden spoon from time to time, until the vegetables have melted in the fat and are beginning to caramelize and brown. This may take as long as 40 minutes, but it’s essential to the final flavors.
Stir in the pork and beef and continue to cook, stirring and breaking up the meats with a fork, until they have changed color. Add salt and pepper to taste, then stir in the minced pancetta and continue cooking until the pancetta bits have dissolved. Add the wine and raise the heat a little, continuing to stir the ingredients in the pan. Let the wine bubble and reduce, throwing off its alcohol.
Now add the concentrate (if the concentrate is very thick, dilute it in about ¼ cup hot water before adding to the pan), stirring it in. Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with your hands, along with all their juice. Turn the heat down to the lowest possible setting and cook very gently, uncovered, for 3 hours. From time to time, as the juices cook down, add a little boiling water or stock to the pan. At the end of the cooking time, add the milk and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. The sauce will have lost its bright red tomato essence and will smell (and taste) richly of meat.
VARIATION Some Bolognese cooks like to add a couple of chopped chicken livers with the ground meats. As you stir the meats, use your fork to crush the chicken livers into the mix.