Slow ragù
The Sunday-afternoon ragù. Brown the meat hard, build flavour with soffritto, then walk away for three hours.
Ingredients
- 500 g ground beef (80/20)
- 250 g ground pork
- 1 large onion, minced
- 2 carrots, minced
- 2 celery ribs, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 100 g tomato paste
- 400 g whole tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 250 ml dry white wine
- 250 ml whole milk
- Fresh bay, thyme, salt, pepper
Method
- Brown the beef and pork in batches in a heavy Dutch oven — get a real fond on the bottom of the pot.
- Remove meat; add soffritto (onion, carrot, celery, garlic) and cook gently until very soft, 12–15 min.
- Stir in tomato paste; cook until brick-red, 4–5 min.
- Deglaze with the wine; scrape up the fond.
- Return the meat. Add tomatoes, milk, herbs, and a generous pinch of salt.
- Simmer uncovered at the lowest possible heat for 2.5 to 3 hours, stirring every 20 minutes.
- Adjust salt at the end. Serve over fresh pappardelle or pici.
The milk is non-negotiable — it tenderises the meat in a way nothing else does. Whole milk only; skim curdles.
This is dramatically better the next day. Make a double batch.