“The international version of Bolognese is very different to the traditional sauce eaten by the people born and raised in Emilia-Romagna,” Filippo said of his hometown.
In Emilia-Romagna, an Italian region extending from the Apennine Mountains to the Po River in the north, ragu alla Bolognese is traditionally served on Sundays and at festivals.
“Ragù alla Bolognese can be served with short pasta, like maccheroni, rigatoni or gobbi. But, the best and most traditional ways to taste this great sauce is with homemade tagliatelle,” Filippo revealed.
“Here I am sharing with you the authentic recipe of my family,” Filippo said, revealing to Great Italian Chefs how to cook ragu Bolognese the Italian way.
Be prepared to cook Filippo’s recipe well in advance of when you’d like to eat as the best flavours take time.
Bolognese ragù recipe
Serves: six people
Ready in: four hours
Ingredients:
- 300g of beef mince
- 150g of pork mince
- 50g of unsalted butter
- 50g of onion, finely chopped
- 50g of carrots, finely chopped
- 50g of celery, finely chopped
- 125ml of red wine
- 30g of tomato paste, triple concentrated
- 125ml of whole milk
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Method
Place a large thick-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat. Add the minced pork belly to the pot and cook until all the liquid from the meat has evaporated, then add the minced beef and cook until golden, stirring frequently. Transfer the meat to a bowl and set aside.
Add the butter to the saucepan and place over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook until the onions are very soft and translucent. Finally, add the tomato paste and sauté for five minutes more, stirring occasionally.
Return the meat to the saucepan, turn up the heat and pour in the red wine. Cook over a high heat for two minutes, then cover the pan and turn the heat down to low.
Filippo advised: “Leave the ragù alla Bolognese to simmer very gently for at least three hours.” He added: “Pour in the whole milk and cook for a further 40 minutes just before serving.”
While ragù alla Bolognese is tasty when cooked, it’s guaranteed to taste even better the very next day. To reheat the ragu the next day, it’s best to do so over a “very low heat with a little bit of milk”.
The ragu Bolognese can be served with seasoned pasta or “simply eat with slices of toasted bread”.
How to make the tagliatelle
Sharing how to make the tagliatelle, which takes about an hour to do, the only ingredients you need are two large eggs and 200g of “00 flour”.
Method
Place 180g of the 00 flour onto a large wooden board. Pour the remaining 20g of flour into a small bowl, ready to use if necessary.
Shape the flour into a volcano with a large hole in the centre, then crack the eggs and pour them into the middle. Using a fork, lightly beat the eggs, then mix in the flour a little at a time. Add the reserved 20g of flour if the dough is too moist.
Bring the mixture together with a spatula and your hands until you obtain a consistent ball of dough. Work the dough with the heel of your hand for 10–15 minutes, or until the mixture is smooth and very elastic. Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Dust a wooden board with one tablespoon of flour. Unwrap the dough and flatten it with a rolling pin. Roll out the dough into thin pasta sheets, less than 1mm thick.
To cut the pasta sheets into tagliatelle, roll the sheets up and cut them into large ¾cm strips. Unravel the cut tagliatelle strips and twirl them into little nests. Dust the nests liberally with flour to stop them from sticking.
Cook the tagliatelle in boiling salted water for three to five minutes before serving with Bolognese sauce.
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