Italy In SF

In Romagna, the food groups are as follows: carbs, fats, fibers, pork and ragu’. Hey, we take our food very seriously! Every pasta indigenous to Romagna goes wonderfully with ragu’: strozzapreti, cappelletti, tortellini, pappardelle, lasagne of course, but we will aslo bend Southern Italian pasta to our will- rigatoni, spaghetti- we really don’t think there’s anything that will not taste great with ragu’! After giving up on the childish notion that every region has its way of doing ragu’, and then every town, I finally realized that it’s really a recipe that changes with every family! This is how I do mine…

Ingredients are quite an issue when making ragu’ abroad. The recipe calls for sausage and beef, but our sausage in Romagna are fennel-free and I usually have a tough time finding the right meat. I have finally settled on getting fennel-free sausages in North Beach, or in the form of “wine and cheese” sausages available sometimes at Trader Joe’s and sometimes at the ritzy Safeway down the street (ugh- I really don’t like shopping at Safeway, but where else am I supposed to buy “regular”, $1.99 pasta?). I then buy ground beef at Trader Joe’s- one tray of 20% fat, a tray of lean beef, and a lot of canned diced tomatoes, as I don’t have the patience to make my own diced and seeded and peeled tomatoes… Add a carrot, an onion and a stalk of celery, chopped, salt and pepper and you have everything I put in my recipe! The secret to our ragu’? Cooking time. I usually put it on in the morning, and let it cook at least 6 hours. That’s why I make a lot- it freezes perfectly for future use!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 parts of ground beef to one part of sausage, pulled in small pieces;
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• Canned diced tomatoes, enough to cover the meat (usually I use 6 to 8 small cans)
• Salt
• Pepper, preferably in grains (I love Tellicherry)
• Extra virgin olive oil for sauteing

I only use one pot for making ragu’. I pick a large one, with a thick bottom, and I start sauteing the diced vegetables in extra virgin olive oil over a lively flame till they are translucent. Then I add the beef and the sausage reduced to small morsels. I let it brown, and then add diced tomatoes till the meat is all covered in tomato. I add salt to taste, a handful of whole pepper grains, and bring to a boil. When the sauce is boiling I partially cover it and lower the heat to the lowest it goes- and then I wait. I usually let it cook at least six hours, but it is perfect if it is on for eight. It’s absolutely worth your time!

Now, as far as spices and herbs are concerned, it is really up to you. You could add bay leaves, or terragon, or a hint of basil- I don’t really like any of that. I like my ragu’ simple, but it’s really up to you! Also, if you think your tomatoes are not tasty enough, you can add a bit of tomato paste to add a little flavor. I do that sometimes, but I cannot honestly say that I taste the difference.

You can use your newly made batch of ragu’ right away, but it is tastier after resting for a couple of hours, away from the heat. You can preserve it for at least a week in the fridge, and up to six months in the freezer. I pack away single servings in jars and tupperware so in case the nuclear holocaust might arrive, I would have enough to survive!

Yours truly having fun while ragu' boils...

Filed under: Traditional Foods