If we had to think of a dish to associate with Sunday in Italy surely “tagliatelle al ragù” would come to mind, one of these recipes that best reflects Italian gastronomy.

In Italy it is traditionally served with “tagliatelle all'uovo”, fresh egg pasta, as we will prepare it today, but it is also used to season other types of pasta such as "lasagne"

The history of ragù in Italy is divided into two routes, one leading south with the Neapolitan recipe and one leading to central Italy.

Today we take the second route, we are in Emilia Romagna, the home of ragù "alla bolognese." 

It is a simple recipe to make, requiring only quality ingredients, patience and love. 

Traditional recipes have small variations from family to family, this time we will take the approach of an Italian Nonna (Liliana) who has been making this recipe for about 60 years.

Ingredients for the Ragù: 

- 1 carrot 

- 1 red onion

- 2 celery stalks 

- 1 glass of Gratsi Wine Red 

- 2 cups ground veal 

- 3 cups of tomato paste

- ½ glass of water

- A bunch of sage and rosemary 

- A generous dose of oil

-  1.5 cups of Tagliatelle

Preparation:

The first step is to prepare the "soffritto," chopping the carrot, onion and celery and placing them in a bowl. 

Next we move on to pour a generous dose of oil into a pot, in Italy we do not use doses for this ingredient, it is never enough, to guide us we need to make sure that our soffritto can cook without burning for a couple of minutes. 

Let us heat the oil and then put our chopped mixture inside and let it sauté for a couple of minutes at least while continuing to stir. 

Do not get distracted otherwise it will burn!

Once the "soffritto" is ready we can add the ground meat and let it brown until it is cooked, at this stage it is important not to stir it too much so that it does not release the water inside. 

After browning it well, when it has reached its maximum temperature, we will nuance it with a glass of our Gratsi Wine Red.

But what is the purpose of this step? Fading red meat with red wine helps to degrease the meat by giving it body and tenderness thanks to its acidity. 

To complete our recipe there are only two steps left. 

We lower the flame and add a can of tomato paste, 1 glass of water and a bunch of sage and rosemary, these will be the ingredients in which we will cook our ragù for about a couple of hours, with the lid half closed, if necessary we can add some more water.

This is why one of the main "ingredients" is patience. 

Every family has its own secret, its own recipe that has been handed down for years, but on one factor they all agree. 

The ragù must "pappuliare," this is a real gem, it is a Neapolitan word that means the sauce must cook for a long time, slowly, "puffing," simmering until it has reached the right intensity of flavor.

You will realize for yourself when it is ready, it is ready when the fat settles on the sides of the pan and many small craters appear in the center.

Now that our sauce is ready we can use it to season Tagliatelle, 

Serve immediately with grated Pecorino Romano.

Buon appetito! 

PS: While you are here, why not give a try to our delicious vino! Click here to learn more. 

 Explore more of our recipes here.

Words and Photographs by Gianina Rose