Author Notes
I married a man from Rome and as a result, I am required to be fairly expert in making Italian dishes. This is one, is a favorite; perfect and warming comfort food. —Cassie Jones
Ingredients
-
2 tablespoons
olive oil
-
1
carrot, minced
-
1
stalk of celery, minced
-
1
onion, minced
-
1
shallot, minced
-
1
clove of garlic, minced
-
1/2 pound
ground beef
-
3/4 pound
ground pork
-
1
bay leaf
-
1 pinch
of dried mushrooms, minced or crushed
-
3 tablespoons
tomato paste
-
1 cup
red wine
-
3 liters
water (or stock)
-
zest of half of a lemon
-
1/2 teaspoon
truffle oil
-
1 sprig
thyme, leaves stripped
-
1 pound
dry pasta(gnocchi or ridged pasta like penne rigate), cooked, pasta water reserved
-
parmigiano reggiano to serve
Directions
-
Heat olive oil on medium heat in a large pot.
-
Add, carrot, celery, onion, shallot and garlic to pot. Lightly salt and saute until beginning to caramelize and soften.
-
Push sauteed vegetables to the sides of the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high and add each of the ground meats. Brown meat.
-
Add, bay leaf, mushrooms, tomato paste, red wine and water. Salt and bring to simmer. Bring heat down to low and cover.
-
Allow to slowly cook, covered, over low heat for several hours. A four hour minimum is best for ragu. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
-
When ready to serve and the ragu has thickened, add lemon zest, thyme and truffle oil.
-
To serve, cook pasta(ridged pasta is best - or gnocchi) and save 1/2 cup pasta water and add to ragu. Bring ragu back up to simmer. Add cooked pasta, allow sauce to thicken, but do not over cook. Serve, topped with parmigiano reggiano cheese.
See what other Food52ers are saying.