Lasagna Recipe Italian Ragu
A delizioso ragu recipe that my bella Nonna got from her old Nonna!
Italian Ragu Ingredients
200g lean beef, diced into small bite-sized pieces
200g pork loin, diced into small bite-sized pieces
200g lamb loin, diced into small bite-sized pieces
few drops of grappa (or a splash of dry red wine)
2 carrots roughly diced
3 stalks celery, roughly diced
3 onions, roughly diced
1kg peeled tomatoes, roughly chopped
250g butter
200g tomato paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
Italian Ragu Directions
In a large frying pan or skillet, fry onion, carrot and celery in butter and oil over a medium heat (approx 2 minutes). Add the meat to the pan and stir frequently for a few minutes but do not let the meat brown.
(It's not catastrophic if the meat does brown, but Nonna says not to because she doesn't think the flavour will be quite so bellisimo - and everyone does what Nonna says!)
Cover, turn down the heat slightly and simmer until the meat absorbs all the juice and then add a few drops of grappa (or splash of dry red wine if you're not in the habit of keeping grappa!).
The meat should cook reasonably fast but must have time to absorb all the juices (approx 20 minutes).
Add chopped tomatoes and paste.
The carrot, onion and celery flavour should not dominate; the main flavour should be the meat and tomatoes.
Don't let the sauce stick to the bottom of the pan or the ragu will get a heavy braised flavour to it.
After the tomato is added, cover and cook for 30 minutes until the meat and vegetables are very tender.