Ragù

Ragù

batch meat sauce, 3-4 hr braise, freeze in portions

Ingredients

Makes ~10 portions

beef mince     1000g
pork mince     500g
soffritto      6 cubes
passata        700g
dry white wine 300g
whole milk     100g
olive oil      30g
bay leaves     3
fine sea salt  to taste
black pepper   to taste

More meat than tomato. A common mistake is too much passata which makes it a tomato sauce with mince rather than a proper ragù.
The milk added at the end is the Bolognese technique. It rounds out the acidity and makes the sauce silky.
White wine, not red. Red wine makes it heavier and muddier. Save the red for drinking alongside.
If you don’t have soffritto frozen, sweat 1 large onion, 1 carrot and 1 celery stalk in olive oil for 20 minutes first.

Recipe

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Drop in the soffritto cubes and cook until thawed and sizzling.

2. Add the mince. Break it up with a spoon and cook until browned all over, about 10-12 minutes. Don’t rush this step. Proper browning is where most of the flavour comes from.

3. Pour in the wine. Scrape up anything stuck to the bottom. Let it bubble for 3-4 minutes until the alcohol smell is gone.

4. Add the passata and bay leaves. Season well. Stir to combine.

5. Reduce to the lowest heat possible, partially cover, and cook for 3-4 hours. Stir every 30 minutes or so. The sauce should slowly reduce and darken. If it looks dry, add a splash of water.

6. After 3-4 hours the mince should be tender and the sauce thick and glossy. Stir in the milk. Cook for another 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

7. Cool completely. Portion into freezer bags or containers (roughly 150-200g per person). Label with the date.

Storing: pour into wide-mouth mason jars while still warm, leave a couple of centimetres of space at the top for expansion, seal and freeze. Straight into the fridge once opened, eat within 4 days.
From frozen: straight into a pan on low heat, lid on, 10-15 minutes. Add a splash of water if it sticks.
Use for: pasta, lasagne, cottage pie, stuffed peppers, in a toasted baguette with cheese, or thinned with stock as a soup base.