Bologna-style ragout

If you do not have time to finish cooking in one session, you may interrupt it: so, put the ragout in the fridge and finish cooking it the next day.

Do not underestimate the importance of meat:

Do not use lean meat, but rich in connective tissue and suitable for long cooking times.

Mix beef with pork

The sauté must be carefully prepared:

Do not cut vegetables with a cutter as this reduces them to a pulp.

Cut the vegetables by hand into cubes no larger than those of the meat.

Do not cook the vegetables and meat at the same time: the vegetables should cook on a low heat and when you add the meat, turn up the heat to brown it. Then continue cooking over an extremely low heat.

Do not be in a hurry to remove the meat sauce from the heat: a good meat sauce should cook for at least 2 and a half hours, so do not be afraid to leave it for longer, always cooking it on an extremely low heat. If it dries out, add some broth a bit at a time to avoid the risk of having a ragout that is too liquid.

If you wish, you can keep the ragout covered in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

If you have leftover ragout, you can freeze it in small portions and defrost the right amount when you need it.

Like most traditional recipes, the Bologna-style ragout has some small variations passed down from family to family.

The ingredients listed are those that respect the original recipe the most, but there are also versions that include other ingredients like

Red wine instead of white wine

Sausage or prosciutto instead of pancetta

Dried mushrooms

Meat stock instead of vegetable stock

The exclusive use of tomato paste

In Italy, there are several ragout versions that are different from the Bologna-style one, including the use of different types of meat. In the Alps it is common to use deer meat, in central Italy wild boar meat, and there is duck ragout on Lake Garda.