Ragù alla Bolognese, Ricetta Tradizionale and Ricetta Antica

Name: Ragù alla Bolognese, Ricetta Tradizionale and Ricetta Antica
Yield: about 3 quarts of sauce from either formula, enough for 6 pounds of pasta
Ingredients: 2 pounds ground beef (15-percent fat content); 2 pounds ground pork (15-percent fat content); 2 cups dry white wine; 6 ounces bacon or pancetta; 5 fat garlic cloves; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 2 medium onions, minced in a food processor or finely chopped; 2 large stalks celery, minced in a food processor or chopped; 1 carrot, shredded; 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste; 6 tablespoons tomato paste; 8 cups very hot milk; Nutmeg for grating (to make 1/2 teaspoon, or more to taste); 2 cups or more hot Turkey Broth (page 80), hot Simple Vegetable Broth (page 288), or plain hot water or a combination of these; Freshly ground black pepper; 2 cups dry red wine; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 2 cups canned plum tomatoes and juices, passed through a food mill or crushed by hand; 8 to 12 cups or more hot Turkey Broth (page 80), Simple Vegetable Broth (page 288), or plain hot water; 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; A 10- to-12-inch heavy-bottomed saucepan, or Dutch oven with a 6-quart capacity

December 14, 2011

Everyone traveling to Bologna, Emilia Romagna, is bound to eat ragù Bolognese, ricetta tradizionale and/or ricetta antica. Served with fresh tagliatelle, particularly spinach tagliatelle, it is the precursor to meat sauce as we know it, and still the main Sunday staple at a Bolognese Sunday meal. The ricetta antica, an old recipe, has milk added while the sauce simmers, to give it additional richness and velvety texture. Today it is mostly the tradizionale, without milk, that is cooked in Bologna.

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