Tagliatelle al Ragu
As promised we have investigated (thoroughly) the makings of a proper Bolognese sauce and we can now tell you definitively that there is no such thing as “Bolognese” sauce, kind of. In fact, what is known in the rest of the world as Bolognese sauce or spaghetti Bolognese (spag bol for you Brits) is not served in Bologna or anywhere else in Italy. In Bologna and the surrounding Emilia-Romagna area, it is simply known as ragù and it is never served with spaghetti but with (egg) tagliatelle.
Living like locals, we visited Trattoria Renzi in Santarcangelo di Romagna. It is a very non-descript country restaurant frequented almost exclusively by locals and where they serve, what our guide Nicholas referred to as, the best ragù in all of Emilia-Romagna. In fact, the ragù is so good that they do not even bother giving you a menu because all anybody orders is the tagliatelle al ragù.
Within minutes of ordering we were served up a steaming platter of mouth-watering pasta with a bottle of the house red, so local it didn’t have a label on it. Digging in, silence fell over the table as we savoured what was agreed upon later to be the best pasta we had ever eaten.
The secret to the best tagliatelle
So what’s the secret to the best tagliatelle al ragù? To find out I had to go back to the kitchen where three women in uniform created this incredible dish from scratch. As I walked into the kitchen one woman was dropping handfuls of fresh tagliatelle into a huge pot of boiling water. In a large sauté pan next to that there was a cup and a bit (not a lot) of ragù that was just simmering. I would guess the pasta cooked for no more than three minutes before she strained it from the water and dumped it into the pan with the ragù. She would not give me a specific time because it depended on how thick it was rolled and cut, no machines here just a rolling pin and a knife.
1 egg to 100 grams flour
As the woman started to toss and stir the pasta into the sauce one of the other women said (in Italian of course) “One egg to one hundred grams of flour, that’s it!” referring to the recipe for the tagliatelle, repeating it several times to make sure that I understood the simplicity of the recipe. Then the woman stirring the pasta and ragù grabbed my arm to show me that the pasta is ready to serve when all the ragù in the pan has been absorbed by the tagliatelle, emphasizing this by moving all the pasta to one side and tapping her spoon on the bottom to show me there wasn’t a puddle of sauce left. It was truly one of the most fun cooking lessons I have had and I was happy to give the ladies a good laugh with my kitchen Italian.
The recipe for the ragù was not given up however but with some investigation, we did discover some of the keys to an authentic ragù. The first is that they do not use olive oil or butter only pork fat to cook the sauce. Also, ground beef is not used in a traditional ragù, only pork. For the simple reason, that olive oil is not usually produced in this part of the country and the cows that are raised here are milk cows, not meat cows, producing the world-renowned Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano cheeses among many others. The pig is king here, evident by products like Prosciutto di Parma and culatello. Since this is milk country, milk is used in ragù but only enough to change the colour from a dark tomato red to a deep orange, not rosé.
So there it is as simple as the nose on your face just like most Italian cooking. I have done my best to recreate an authentic tagliatelle al ragù in the recipe below. Serve it piping hot with plenty of grated Parmigiano Reggiano or better yet visit beautiful Emilia-Romagna Italy to eat the real thing!
*The word ragù was used sixteen times in this post.
- 400 grams egg Tagliatelle (homemade is best if not get the best possible)
- 150 grams pancetta, chopped fine or ground
- 400 grams ground pork (not too lean)
- 1/3 cup carrot, finely diced
- 1/3 cup celery, finely diced
- 1/3 cup red onion, finely diced
- 2 cups tomato passatta (smooth purée)
- splash red wine (that you should be enjoying while you cook)
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup whole milk
- salt and pepper
- Start by rendering the fat from the pancetta over low heat.
- Do not brown the pancetta.
- Remove the pancetta but leave the fat to sauté your vegetables.
- Add a touch of butter if you don't think there is enough.
- Over medium heat cook the vegetables until they are almost brown and very soft.
- Deglaze the pan with a splash of red wine and cook until it has almost all evaporated.
- Turn the heat down and add the ground pork.
- Cook it slowly so it does not all seize together and until it is lightly browned.
- Add the tomatoes with the cooked pancetta and cook over a low heat for an hour until it is quite thick and a dark red.
- Now add the milk and stir until it is incorporated into the sauce and it is the correct colour.
- Simmer the sauce over low heat for another hour or so covered.
- Add a touch more milk if it gets too thick and dark.
- Season with salt and pepper.
* We were in Bologna as part of Blogville Emilia-Romagna for more information please visit their website. The opinions in this post are our own.
What a great read and clears up a ton of confusion when someone calls something ragu and then bolognese. Thanks!
After spending a little time in Bologna, I came back to the States determined to recreate the ragu I had there. Of course, what I discovered is different than what you discovered! There definitely is no one way.
It all depends on the region/the family/the ingredients available etc…
I am definitely making this!
I always put pancetta in my roasted tomato sauce, people wonder why it tastes so good but a little pork goes a long way.
Pork definitely adds a lot of flavour
Great read. Mouthwatering. Even if it’s still breakfast time.
The recipe is more or less the same I use, but so far I’ve never heard of milk as ingredient. Will test that tonight. Thank you.
Yes, it’s a ragu but a special one! I can’t imagine ever serving the sauce with spaghetti! Has to be fresh tagliatelle for sure and has to have milk in in. Funny though I have never encountered using passata in the ragu. Normally it’s a bit of tomato paste so the ragu is more about the meat and not about tomatoes?
Oracibo has a blog post about “Bolognese” sauce aka “Ragu” Here’s the link http://oracibo.com/4613/about-bolognese-sauce/. I love this kind of “research”.
Can’t wait to try this receipe. Thanks for the story and pics.
Hey Sid, glad to have you stop by, check out other recipes, plenty of ideas when you’re not sure what’s for dinner 🙂
I dugg some of you post as I cerebrated they were very useful invaluable
Wow, i like learning new stuff,
thanks! Can i ask about the measurements below, I am not very good with converting–could you tell me what I need in pounds? I would appreciate it! Ciao for now!
400 grams egg Tagliatelle (homemade is best if not get the best possible)
150 grams pancetta, chopped fine or ground
400 grams ground pork (not too lean)