Ragu Sauce

This sauce is a favorite of friends and a trusty stand-by for parties. It works wonderfully when made a day or two ahead. Time? Yes, it takes time. But so do braised short ribs or oxtails, so do a lot of things that I like to eat.

Ingredients

450g (+/- 1lb) Ground Beef
1/2 medium onion in a medium dice
1 rib of celery in a medium dice
1 medium carrot in a medium dice
80g (3 oz) butter
30ml (2 T) olive oil
250ml (1 cup) white wine (something dry)
125ml (1/2 cup) milk (whole is better)
1 regular can whole tomatoes
2-3 sun dried tomatoes cut into small pieces
Nutmeg
Salt
Truffle Oil to serve (optional, can be replaced with butter)
Parmesan cheese to serve
450g (1lb) Pasta (spiral, tube, or whatever you prefer)

Proceedure

Over medium high heat saute the onion in the butter and olive oil until it is light brown, about 5 minutes. Add the carrot and celery and saute another 5 minutes until they have started to turn brown. Add the meat and some salt and cook until brown. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has evaporated (the time required will depend greatly on the size of your pan). Add the milk and a pinch of nutmeg and cook until the milk has reduced by about 90%. At this point add the tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes, breaking the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon.

Simmer the sauce for several hours (3-4) over a very low heat. At this point the cause can be used or refrigerated for 1-2 days.

To serve:

Cook the pasta al dente (firm but cooked), and toss with the sauce, a few tablespoons of truffle oil (or butter) and Parmesan cheese.

This recipe was largely inspired by Giuliano Hazan, who I consider to have an outstanding knowledge of techniques of Italian cooking. Although I have not seen his recent works, The Classic Pasta Cookbook is an excellent book (although I believe it is long out of print).