Authentic Bolognese Sauce
Authentic Italian version of the classic Bolognese sauce
Ingredients
- 1 onion medium
- 1 carrot
- 1 stalk celery
- ½ pound ground pork 250 g
- ½ pound ground beef 250 g
- 3 oz pancetta 100 g
- 1 cup red wine 240 ml
- 1 cup whole milk 240 ml
- 2 tbsp tomato purée (passata di pomodoro) 30 g (or use 1 tsp tomato paste)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ½ stick unsalted butter 50 g
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- To make authentic Bolognese sauce, first make a purée of the carrot, celery, and onion with a blender (called soffritto in Italian). If you don’t have a strong blender, simply grate the vegetables.
- Grate the pancetta so it also becomes almost like a purée. If it’s difficult to get Italian pancetta where you live, you can use bacon instead.
- Heat the olive oil and the butter in a large pan. Add the vegetable purée and let the moisture evaporate. It takes about 15 minutes to get the right consistency.
- Add the ground pancetta, pork, and beef. Stir occasionally over medium heat, and let it simmer for 30 minutes until all the liquid evaporates.
- Pour in the wine and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato purée. If you use tomato paste, dilute it first in the chicken stock. If you use tomato purée or canned tomatoes, you don’t need the stock. If you prefer canned tomatoes, use 1 ½ cups for this recipe. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook your authentic Bolognese sauce for 90 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add some chicken stock or water to make up for the evaporated liquid.
- Pour in the milk little by little. It’s important to use whole milk; some Italian recipes even call for half-and-half. I used cream and whole milk in a 1:4 ratio. Let it come to a simmer once again, then turn off the heat and your authentic Bolognese sauce is ready.
Notes
Original name: Ragù alla bolognese
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!