I came across this quote while browsing Waverly Root's The Food of Italy
"French cooking is formalized, technical and scientific. Order Bearnaise sauce in 200 different French restaurants and you will get exactly the same sauce 200 times. But, ask for Bolognese sauce in 200 different Italian restaurants and you will get 200 different versions of ragu'. "
It's true too! There are hundreds of variations on the simple classic Bolognese sauce, a meat sauce.
Every cook in Italy has a "true and authentic" recipe that she will assure you is quite unlike all the rest. I've never had a bad one in Italy and here is my favorite recipe for making this velvety sauce at home. It's based on one I found in the Italian 'joy of cooking': The Silver Spoon.
Ragu' alla Bolognese
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, peeled and chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
- 3/4 pound ground steak
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- salt & pepper
Heat the butter and oil in a saucepan and add the onion, celery, carrot, and ground steak. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and cook over low heat until the vegetables have softened and the meat starts to brown (about 5 minutes). Add the tomato paste with a little water to dilute it. Cover and cook over very low heat for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a little water if the sauce seems to be drying out.
Toss with cooked spaghetti and serve.Some Variations: add in some chopped mushrooms or use a mixture of ground veal or pork and the ground steak.
Do you have another version you'd like to share? Post a comment and tell us about your Bolognese sauce.
