Before leaving bolognese sauce to simmer on the hob for several hours, my Italian grandma would always pour in one simple ingredient everyone has in their fridge.
Bolognese sauce, or ragu bolognese, is considered one of the cornerstone dishes of Italian cooking. Like any traditional recipe, you'll find it prepared with slight variations and local adaptations.
However, the core components of the dish remain unchanged, which involve beginning with a finely diced mixture of celery, carrot and onion called the soffrito, a combination of minced pork and beef, quality tinned tomatoes and of course, red wine. Key to creating an exceptional bolognese is performing each preparation step correctly, with patience and care, avoiding any shortcuts. Indeed, gentle cooking proves essential for building the right flavour and texture.
However, there's one ingredient that genuinely transforms everything, something my Italian nonna would add to the basic recipe without fail every single time – milk. The lactic acid and calcium help to soften the beef, while the milk counteracts the acidity of the wine and tomatoes, creating a smoother, more indulgent sauce. Ingredients Method When I'm making a bolognese, the first job I address is assembling the soffrito base.
This involves chopping the onion, carrots and celery into minuscule pieces, which usually takes up quite a portion of my time. To speed things up, I used a food processor. While manually cutting the vegetables would ordinarily take a good five to 10 minutes, the food processor completed it within seconds. With the soffritto base prepared, I added oil to a large pan before adding the chopped vegetables.
I favour leaving the onions, carrots and celery to cook gently for five to 10 minutes before moving forward, as they need sufficient softening to release their flavours. My next step was adding the meat, allowing it to brown thoroughly before mixing in the tomato puree, salt, pepper and red wine to deglaze the pan.
This stage is incredibly important because it's when the flavour elements that enhance the sauce form, and because any remaining alcohol needs to evaporate entirely – otherwise it could leave an unwelcome sharpness in the sauce. Next came the tinned tomatoes. For the finest results, I'm committed to the Mutti brand. As I favour a velvety-smooth sauce, I consistently blend the tinned tomatoes.
After the tinned tomatoes were processed, I added them to the pan, mixed everything thoroughly, then added the milk before combining the sauce again. I heated the sauce until boiling, then lowered it to a low heat and allowed it to bubble away with the lid on for three hours. The lengthy cooking period only intensifies the flavour – I merely stirred it every half an hour during this time.
Shortly before the sauce is ready, I like to taste it to determine whether it needs a pinch of salt or pepper. Whenever I make a big batch of bolognese, I usually freeze some of it, and it keeps perfectly well for up to three months.
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