Marcella Hazan's Bolognese Meat Sauce (2024)

Ragù, as the Bolognese call their celebrated meat sauce, is characterized by mellow, gentle, comfort flavors. Marcella Hazan wrote that any cook can achieve a great ragù by being careful about a few basic points.

First, the meat should not be from too lean a cut; the more marbled it is, the richer the ragù it makes. The most desirable cut of beef is the neck portion of the chuck. Next, salt the meat immediately when sautéing it to extract its juices for the benefit of the sauce. Cook the meat in milk to protect it from the acidic bite of the wine and tomatoes you'll add to the pot. Do not use a demi-glace or other stock concentrates that tip the balance of flavors toward harshness.

Finally, be sure to use a pot that retains heat. Earthenware is preferred in Bologna and by most cooks in Emilia-Romagna, but enameled cast-iron pans or a pot with a heavy bottom that's composed oflayers of steel alloys are also satisfactory. Serve this sauce over fettuccine or your pasta of choice.

1. 

   Gather all the ingredients.

2. 

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   Put the oil, butter, and chopped onion in the pot; turn the heat on to medium.

3. 

   Cook and stir the onion until it has become translucent, then add the chopped celery and carrot. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring the vegetables to coat them well.

4. 

   Add the ground beef, a large pinch of salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Crumble the meat with a fork, stir well, and cook until the beef has lost its raw, red color.

5. 

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   Add the milk and let it simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it has bubbled away completely. Add a tiny grating — about 1/8 teaspoon — of nutmeg and stir.

6. 

   Add the wine, let it simmer until it has evaporated, then add the tomatoes; stir thoroughly to coat all ingredients well.

7. 

   When the tomatoes begin to bubble, turn the heat down so that the sauce cooks at the laziest of simmers, with just an intermittent bubble breaking through to the surface.

8. 

   Cook, uncovered, for 3 hours or more, stirring from time to time. While the sauce is cooking, you are likely to find that it begins to dry out and the fat separates from the meat. To keep it from sticking, continue the cooking, adding 1/2 cup of water whenever necessary. At the end, however, no water at all must be left and the fat must separate from the sauce. Taste and correct for salt.

9. 

   Toss with cooked drained pasta, adding the tablespoon of butter.

10. 

    Serve with freshly grated Parmesan on the side.

Reprinted with permission from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan. Copyright 1992 by Marcella Hazan. Published by Knopf.