Fresh Pappardelle with Marcella Hazan’s Ragù Bolognese
Marcella Hazan’s recipe for Meat Sauce, Bolognese Style from her 1973 The Classic Italian Cookbook: The Art of Italian Cooking and the Italian Art of Eating, is a classic — it’s a favorite among Italian-food-loving Americans. Until we developed the recipe for Ultimate Ragù Bolognese (and wrote about it for the Washington Post) it was a recipe we often turned to when craving the luscious, comforting sauce, as we wrote in a story in early pandemic.
A little less time-consuming to make than Ultimate Ragù Bolognese (though it does require 3 to 3 1/2 hours of simmering) it includes only beef as its meat (no pork). Its flavor is a bit brighter, with a stronger carrot and tomato presence. If you’d like something deeper and richer, we’d suggest Ultimate Ragù. And if you’re looking for one without milk, try Lidia Bastianich’s Meat Sauce Bolognese, another fave.
Makes four to five main-course servings.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced small (about 1 cup)
2 medium carrots, diced small
2 stalks celery, diced small
1 pound ground beef
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg (optional)
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 recipe Fresh Handmade Pappardelle or Fresh Pasta Made Using a Pasta Machine
Finely grated Parmesan for serving
Instructions
1. In a Dutch oven or other deep pot, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the onion is just translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the carrot and celery and cook gently for 2 minutes.
2. Add the ground beef, crumbling it in the pot with a fork. Add the salt, stir and cook only until the meat has lost its raw, red color. Add the wine, turn the heat up to medium high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the wine is evaporated.
3. Turn the heat down to medium, add the milk and the nutmeg, and cook until the milk has evaporated, stirring frequently.
4. When the milk has evaporated, add the tomatoes and stir thoroughly. When the tomatoes have started to bubble, turn the heat down until the sauce cooks at the laziest simmer, just an occasional bubble. Cook, partially covered, for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, and adding a little water when necessary. Taste and correct for salt.
5. Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add the pappardelle, and cook until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes.
6. When the pasta nearly done, stir 2 to 3 tablespoons of pasta cooking water into the ragù. Remove about a cup of the ragù and reserve for another use. Use tongs to transfer the pasta into the sauce, and let it cook briefly, tossing gently in the sauce. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with grated Parmesan.
If you liked this recipe, you might enjoy:
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More Italian and Italian-ish recipes from Cooks Without Borders
Fresh Pappardelle with Marcella Hazan’s Ragù Bolognese
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced small (about 1 cup)
- 2 medium carrots, diced small
- 2 stalks celery, diced small
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup milk
- 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg (optional)
- 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 recipe Fresh Handmade Pappardelle or Fresh Pasta Made Using a Pasta Machine
- Finely grated Parmesan for serving
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or other deep pot, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the onion is just translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the carrot and celery and cook gently for 2 minutes.
- Add the ground beef, crumbling it in the pot with a fork. Add the salt, stir and cook only until the meat has lost its raw, red color. Add the wine, turn the heat up to medium high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the wine is evaporated.
- Turn the heat down to medium, add the milk and the nutmeg, and cook until the milk has evaporated, stirring frequently.
- When the milk has evaporated, add the tomatoes and stir thoroughly. When the tomatoes have started to bubble, turn the heat down until the sauce cooks at the laziest simmer, just an occasional bubble. Cook, partially covered, for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, and adding a little water when necessary. Taste and correct for salt.
- Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add the pappardelle, and cook until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- When the pasta nearly done, stir 2 to 3 tablespoons of pasta cooking water into the ragù. Remove about a cup of the ragù and reserve for another use. Use tongs to transfer the pasta into the sauce, and let it cook briefly, tossing gently in the sauce. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with grated Parmesan.
