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This is The OFFICAL RECIPE for BOLOGNESE RAGU of BOLOGNA, ITALY
This RECIPE CRITERIA for a Properly Made “RAGU” (of Bologna) according to
AGRICOLTURA Di BOLOGNA (The Agricultural Commission of BOLOGNA)
This is the renewed recipe for the real ragù alla bolognese:
INGREDIENTS AND DOSES (FOR 6 PEOPLE)
Coarsely ground beef: 400 g; Fresh sliced pork belly, 150 g; half an onion, about 60 g; 1 carrot, about 60 g; 1 stick of celery, about 60 g; 1 glass of red or white wine; Tomato puree: 200 g; Double concentrated tomato paste: 1 tablespoon; 1 glass of whole milk (optional); Light meat or vegetable broth (also stock cube); Extra virgin olive oil: 3 tablespoons; Salt and pepper.
PROCEDURE
In a non-stick saucepan (of excellent quality, heavy) or made of aluminum or enameled cast iron (once upon a time the earthenware pot was very popular) of 24-26 cm in diameter, melt the minced or chopped bacon with 3 tablespoons of oil. Then, add the finely chopped herbs on the cutting board (do not use the mixer) and slowly fry the mixture over medium-low heat, always stirring with a wooden spoon (the onion must absolutely not take on a burnt flavor). Raise the heat and add the minced meat and, always stirring carefully, cook it for about ten minutes until it “sizzles”.
Pour the wine and let it evaporate and reduce completely, until you no longer smell the wine and then add the concentrate and the puree. Continuing to mix well, pour a cup of boiling broth (but you can also use just water) and cook slowly, with the container covered, for about 2 hours (even 3 hours depending on your preferences and the meats used) adding the hot broth as needed. Halfway through cooking, according to an advisable ancient tradition, you can add the milk that must be reduced completely. Finally, once cooking is finished, season with salt and pepper. The ragù should be a nice dark orange color, enveloping and creamy.
NOTE :
Traditionally in Bologna they used the “cartella”, that is the diaphragm of the beef, today difficult to find. In its absence, or in addition, the front cuts rich in collagen are to be preferred such as the muscle, the shoulder, the under-shoulder, the belly, the brisket. Mixed cuts can be made. According to a modern processing technique, the meats are browned well separately, alone, and then mixed with the chopped herbs, also already browned.
VARIANTS ALLOWED :
1) Mixed meats: beef (about 60%) and pork (about 40%) (loin or neck);
2) Minced meat;
3) Rolled or flat pork belly instead of fresh bacon;
4) A scent of nutmeg;
VARIANTS NOT ALLOWED
1) Veal pulp;
2) Smoked bacon;
3) Only pork;
4) Garlic, rosemary, parsley, other herbs or spices;
5) Brandy (in place of wine);
6) Flour (to thicken).
BOLOGNESE RAGOUT CAN Be ENRICHED With :
1) Chicken livers, hearts and gizzards;
2) Peeled and crumbled pork sausage;
3) Blanched peas added at the end of cooking;
4) Soaked dried porcini mushrooms.
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TAGLIATELLE BOLOGNESE
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“Over the years, the recipe registered in 1982 has been reported in books, magazines, newspaper articles and websites in Italy and the rest of the world, constituting a clear and reliable point of reference; however, after four decades, a study of the changes that have occurred in the creation of this symbolic dish of Italian cuisine, loved throughout the world, was required.
There have been improvements in ingredients, in the quality of containers and in heat sources, as well as changes in eating habits which have had partial effects on the way ragù is prepared.
The three Bolognese Delegations have therefore set up a “Study Committee” for the updating and improvement of the recipe for Ragù alla Bolognese and, in order to obtain a current and complete overview, the Committee has consulted, through a specific questionnaire: the best restaurants in the city, custodians of tried and tested recipes; families with ancient traditions; expert gastronomes.
Ragù alla Bolognese, like all long-standing recipes, is made in families and restaurants in ever-changing ways, as demonstrated by the fact that the recipes received during the study are all different from each other, often in small details but, at times, also with substantial differences.
The “Study Committee”, making a reasoned synthesis, has therefore drawn up a new version of Ragù alla Bolognese which is very detailed in the procedure, with variations (allowed and not allowed) and advice on the cuts of meat and on possible “enrichments”.
The three Bolognese Delegations of the Italian Academy of Cuisine have thus decreed which recipe currently adheres most closely to the formula that guarantees the classic and traditional taste of the true Ragù alla Bolognese, which is what is made, cooked, served and enjoyed today in homes, in restaurants and in bars.
trattorias and restaurants in learned and fat Bologna.
The registered recipe is not intended to be the only possible one, but rather to be a safe guide to the creation of an excellent dish that does not betray traditional customs and establishes some fixed points, with the awareness that, as with musical scores, the true art lies in the execution”.
The notarial deed of the recipe is now jealously guarded in the Palazzo della Mercanzia. It completes the collection of thirty-four recipes of the Bolognese gastronomic culture deposited. All the result of the collaboration between the Chamber of Commerce of Bologna and the Italian Academy of Cuisine that began on April 16, 1972 with the deposit of the golden measure of the authentic Ta
gliatella alla Bolognese.
Cooking Italian 