home/food/ragu-alla-bolognese

Ragù alla Bolognese

From reddit user /u/danos95

Makes about 6 servings

Ingredients

• 250 g. beef, hand minced (chuck, brisket, short rib, shank all work)
• 250 g. pork, hand minced (shoulder is best)
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 rib celery, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 2.5 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 c. red wine
• 1 c. chicken or beef stock, plus a bit more on reserve
• 1 c. whole milk
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• a large-ish segment of lemon peel
• a pinch of nutmeg

Method

1. Use a sharp knife or a heavy cleaver to finely chop the meat into a coarse mince.
2. Heat a heavy bottomed pot on high-heat add enough olive oil to cover the bottom about 1/4 inch thick then add beef and saute for 6-7 minutes until browned on the outside. Remove the beef with a slotted spoon ensuring you leave rendered fat in the pot and set aside.
3. Repeat the above step for the pork.
4. Add onions, carrot, celery and saute for 15 - 20 minutes.
5. Add red wine, then the beef and pork back in, then tomato paste, stock, milk, cinnamon, bay leaf, nutmeg, lemon peel. Give everything a good stir and season with salt (about 1 tbs) and black pepper.
6. Simmer on low heat for 3-6 hours - taste every half an hour; if it gets dry top up with either water or stock. It’s done when the meat is tender and no longer chewy; obviously the longer you cook the more tender/melt in your mouth it will get.