Delicious traditional spaghetti Bolognese – known in Italy as Tagliatelle al Ragù alla Bolognese – made according to a family recipe. Our recipe to remind us of our trip to Bologna.
400-500gtagliatelle or spaghettifresh, if available
For the ragù alla Bolognese
1carrot
1celery stick
1onion
200gground pork
500gground beef
1/4cuptomato paste
1cupred wine
1cuptomato puree
1-2cupsvegetable or meat broth
Extravirgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
To serve
Freshly grated Parmiagiano Reggiano
Instructions
Prepare the ragù (meat sauce)
Finely mince the onion, carrot and celery and put them in a saucepan with liberal amounts of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Fry lightly for about 10-15 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally.
Add the minced meat and mix well with a wooden spoon, breaking up the meat. Fry until it browns a little, stirring every now and then.
When the meat is lightly browned, add the tomato paste and stir through. Add the wine and allow to simmer until the wine has softened the meat or evaporated.
Stir in the tomato puree, season with salt and pepper. Simmer very slowly in a covered saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. When the sauce starts to get dry, add some hot stock and continue simmering until the desired consistency is reached.
Prepare the tagliatelle
Cook the pasta in lots of boiling water, with a little salt, until the pasta floats to the top. Strain and serve with the ragù alla Bolognese and a handful of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Notes
Notes: I use the cheat's method and add the stock with the tomato and allow to simmer until the stock has evaporated and the right consistency is reached, rather than adding it bit-by-bit. Generally, I add about 2cm of broth to the saucepan over the meat.