The Essential Italian Mother's Ragù

The original recipe for this version of Ragù is from my friends mom, Manola (shoutout to Jo for passing it on and teaching it to me). I've since slightly altered it to be a bit creamier. The success of a ragù highly depends on the quality of the meat and wine, which means that the sauce will turn out slightly different each time you make it. Enjoy! 

Makes enough sauce for 5 pastas 

Things you will need 

chopping board 
deep pot (like one to make pasta)
frying pan 
pot to cook pasta 
sharp knife 


Ingredients 

500g mince beef 
200g pork sausage 
2 litres passata 
3 rosemary twigs 
3 carrots, peeled 
1 red onion 
2 cups red wine 
salt and pepper 
olive oil 

Directions 

1. Dice the red onion finely. Place in a pan with a tablespoon of olive oil and sauté. Dice the carrot very finely and add to the pan with half the rosemary. 
2. Place a tablespoon of olive oil in a deep pot and add the minced beef, stir to make it brown completely. Start removing the sausage from the casing, cut roughly and add to the pot. Make sure the heat is on medium-low.  
3. Pour in the red wine and let it evaporate almost completely. In the meantime, using a wooden spoon break the mince and sausages apart. 
4. When the wine has almost completely disappeared pour in the passata, mixing thoroughly. 
5. Remove the browned carrots and onion from the heat and add to the simmering pot of meat and passata. Add the remaining rosemary and lower the heat to minimum. 
6. Stir very well and cover with a lid. It needs to cook for at least one hour and a half. Every 10 minutes stir very well, scraping the bottom as well. 
7. Halfway through add salt and pepper to taste. 
8. You will know it is ready when the meat is very soft and the excess passata has evaporated, creating a dense sauce. (I suggest trying it throughout the whole cooking procedure with the help of some bread). 
9. Cook pasta and add the sauce! 

It can also be frozen or kept in the fridge up to 3 or 4 days. 

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