There's nothing like a classic Tuscan meat ragu to make me feel like I'm back in Italy. It's the perfect Sunday supper for enjoying with friends. We learned this recipe from a cooking class we took outside of San Gimignano, but I've adapted it slightly to make it easier to make in the US. You will need to locate passata, which is a tomato puree found at specialty Italian grocery stores. This is the kind we used.
I imagine if you can't find passata, you could puree canned whole tomatoes in a food processor or blender until smooth.
Tuscan Ragu di Carne
(Recipe adapted from Chef Mauro)
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 large stalks celery, finely chopped
- 4 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 1/3 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 cup red wine such as Chianti
- 1 6-oz can tomato paste
- 1 bottle (700 grams) of passata
- 1/2 cup water
- Salt
- Pepper
- Add olive oil to a large pot (I use a Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add onions, celery, and carrots. Cook 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the ground beef and Italian sausage to the pot. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until most of the pink is gone, stirring occasionally.
- Add the wine, increase the heat to high, and cook for 2-3 minutes to let some of the alcohol cook off.
- Add the tomato paste and passata. Use the 1/2 cup of water to rinse out any tomato puree coating the sides and add it to the pot. Season to taste.
- Lower the heat until mixture is just simmering and allow to simmer uncovered for two hours.
- Season to taste and serve with fresh pasta. We use about 3 pounds of fresh pasta for this amount of ragu. It definitely feeds a crowd! Feel free to cut this in half if you're cooking for just four or don't want leftovers.
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