{"id":22905,"date":"2020-01-16T08:05:53","date_gmt":"2020-01-16T07:05:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tortelliniandco.com\/?p=22905"},"modified":"2024-04-16T15:33:11","modified_gmt":"2024-04-16T13:33:11","slug":"bolognese-sauce-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tortelliniandco.com\/en\/bolognese-sauce-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"Original Bolognese sauce recipe (rag\u00f9 alla Bolognese)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some recipes are pages in the book of our life, full of memories.
\nThis is the Bolognese sauce for me.
\nIts smell makes me think about the city that welcomed me. Above all, it is one of my first memories in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

Like that of Neapolitan rag\u00f9, it is a historical recipe even though it is not as old as the Neapolitan one.
\nThey are both the derivation of one of the five basic sauces of international cuisine.
\nDid you know? The tomato one, of course. Rag\u00f9 alla Bolognese<\/em> is the most famous Italian sauce in the world.<\/p>\n

As I have written, it is a powerful and unforgettable memory from my childhood. I knew how to make rag\u00f9 before I learned how to chop an onion or what a soffritto was. It happened while I played in the kitchen while my maternal grandmother cooked. Without knowing it, I was training my nose and eyes.<\/p>\n

Today, I can recognize the scents that distinguish the different stages of preparation.<\/p>\n

The moment when vegetables become soffritto, and their smell becomes a chorus. The sweet aroma of the bacon embracing the soffritto<\/em>. Finally, there is the most significant aroma, that of the rag\u00f9 when it is ready.<\/p>\n

I don’t have to taste it; I know I can turn off the stove.<\/p>\n

Bologna welcomes you<\/h4>\n

My first encounter outside my home kitchen with the aromas of Bolognese sauce was unusual.<\/p>\n

It brought me to my university days. I used to arrive in Bologna in the early morning. Once I got off the commuter train, now as then crowded with people, sleep, and life, I would step out into the square of the Central Station where the unmistakable essence of Bolognese sauce was there to greet me, almost an embrace.<\/p>\n

First came the aroma of soffritto and then that of rag\u00f9 in all its richness and density.<\/p>\n

Bologna does not still welcome you with the aroma of its sauce; the smells have changed, and none is prevalent.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, walking through the alleys of the downtown, I smell that scent that tickles my nose.
\nIn this case, I slow my pace and think of the greasy, glossy Bolognese sauce embracing the tagliatelle or spread on rectangles of green pasta dough, again a slice of warm, crusty bread.
\nI’ve always liked it in a sandwich, too.<\/p>\n

\"Bolognese<\/p>\n

The recipe for Bolognese sauce<\/h4>\n

The history of rag\u00f9 alla Bolognese begins in the 1700s and ends only in 1900 when we can officially speak of that recipe. Even in the early decades of the 20th century, the recipe, which met tomato sauce, not pulp, in the late 19th century, still has fluid boundaries.<\/p>\n

It was 1982 when the local Delegation of the Accademia della Cucina Italiana registered the recipe with the local Chamber of Commerce. The decision creates discussion among experts and many Bolognese who, by ancient and established family tradition, execute a recipe different from the deposited one.<\/p>\n

The discussion concerned the composition of the mince.<\/h5>\n

In fact, the ingredients of the recipe registered in 1982 do not call for a mixed mince of beef and pork but only beef. In addition, of course, at the pork belly at the beginning with the soffritto<\/em>. For many Bolognese people, the practice was different, and the mince was of mixed meats, a custom that helps to make the rag\u00f9 more juicy. In addition, there was also a divergence about the wine, if red or white.<\/p>\n

When the controversy seems to be over, every time, something happens, and it regains vigor.<\/p>\n

I have always made rag\u00f9 following my family tradition (using mixed meats), and I have never known one Bolognese who makes the recipe using only beef.<\/p>\n

And then, an unthinkable breakthrough happened.<\/h5>\n

Recently (2023), experts have again intervened, effectively embracing what has always been the tradition known and practiced by the Bolognese. These are the news you can read on the Bologna Chamber of Commerce website:<\/p>\n

PERMITTED VARIANTS<\/h5>\n

1) Mixed meats: beef (about 60 percent) and pork (about 40 percent) (loin or neck pork);
\n2) Knife minced meat;
\n3) Stretched or rolled pork belly instead of fresh bacon;
\n4) A scent of nutmeg;<\/p>\n

VARIANTS NOT ALLOWED<\/h5>\n

1) Veal meat;
\n2) Smoked bacon;
\n3) Pork meat only;
\n4) Garlic, rosemary, parsley, other flavorings or spices;
\n5) Brandy (in place of wine, which may be white or red);
\n6) Flour (for thickening).<\/p>\n

VARIANTS ADMITTED<\/h5>\n

1) Chicken offal;
\n2) Skinned and crumbled pork sausage;
\n3) Blanched peas added at the end of cooking;
\n4) Soaked dried porcini mushrooms.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Bolognese<\/p>\n

Do you know that Bolognese sauce has a soul?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The soffritto is the soul of Bolognese sauce.
\nThe soffritto for rag\u00f9 alla Bolognese calls for onion, carrot, celery, no pepper, bay leaves, or other spices.
\nIf you want to make it Bolognese style.<\/p>\n

The vegetables in the soffritto are all finely chopped.
\nMy carrot always remains too coarse when it should disappear in the mince. My husband, Mr. Bolognese<\/em>, never fails to point this out to me, and I smile since he is right.<\/p>\n

Saut\u00e9ing is gentle; the vegetables should not brown but cook slowly, releasing the flavor. At this point, add in sweet pancetta, ground, not diced, and cook until it melts.<\/p>\n

When the soffritto<\/em> has taken shape, you are ready to start the preparation of the rag\u00f9, adding the ground meat and all the other ingredients step by step.<\/p>\n

Some things to know about Bolognese sauce<\/strong><\/h4>\n