Ragu Bolognese By Mario Batali Recipes

LASAGNA BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Make the ragu: Soak the porcini mushrooms in 2 cups hot water until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain the porcini, reserving the liquid.
• Finely chop the porcini and white mushrooms in a food processor; transfer to a bowl. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, parsley and prosciutto to the processor; pulse until finely chopped.
• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Cook the ground beef and pork in batches, breaking them up with a wooden spoon, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the meat to a bowl. Add the wine to the pot, scraping up the browned bits. Add the liquid to the bowl with the meat.
• Melt the butter in the pot; add the onion, chopped carrot mixture, the rosemary, bay leaves and 2 teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mushrooms and cook, stirring, about 8 minutes.
• Return the meat mixture to the pot. Add the cognac and scrape up the browned bits. Cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups water and the reserved mushroom soaking liquid. Crush the tomatoes with your hands over the pot and add with their juices. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 2 hours, 30 minutes. Cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the bechamel: Melt the butter in a wide saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; cook, whisking, 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook, whisking, until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking, 10 more minutes.
• Assemble the lasagna: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a few inches of salted water to a boil in a wide saucepan. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Line a baking sheet with a damp kitchen towel. Working in batches, boil the pasta until partially cooked, about 4 minutes, then remove with a skimmer and transfer to the ice water to cool. Remove the pasta sheets, shake off the excess water and arrange in a single layer on the towel. Cover the pasta with another damp towel.
• Brush the bottom and sides of a deep 11-by-13-inch baking dish with the butter. Spread 1/2 cup ragu in the pan. Cover with a layer of pasta, then sprinkle with 1/3 cup parmesan and 2/3 cup mozzarella. Spread 1 1/2 cups ragu over the cheese and top with 1 cup bechamel. Repeat with 3 more layers each of pasta, parmesan, mozzarella, ragu and bechamel. Top with a layer of pasta, then cover with the remaining bechamel. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and mozzarella. Tuck the edges of the pasta into the baking dish with a knife.
• Place the lasagna on a baking sheet to catch any drips; bake until bubbly and golden, about 40 minutes. Let rest 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

MARIO BATALI'S RAGU BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• ingredients
• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 tablespoons Butter
• instructions
• In a 6- to 8-quart heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat until melted.
• ingredients
• 2 medium Onions (finely chopped)
• 4 ribs Celery (finely chopped)
• 2 Carrots (finely chopped)
• 5 Garlic cloves (sliced)
• instructions
• Add the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic, season with salt, and cook until the vegetables are translucent but not browned, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• ingredients
• 1 pound ground Pork
• 1 pound ground Veal
• 4 ounces Pancetta or Slab Bacon (run through the medium holes of the butcher's grinder)
• instructions
• Add the veal, pork, and pancetta, increase the heat to high and brown the meat, stirring frequently. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the meat is dark brown and the fat has rendered out completely. There will be a shallow pool of fat in the pan. This is desirable
• .
• ingredients
• 1 4.5-ounce tube of Tomato Paste
• 1 cup Whole Milk
• instructions
• Add the tomato paste and cook it in the fat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the color is rusty orange. Add the milk and cook until almost completely reduced.
• ingredients
• 1 cup Dry White Wine
• instructions
• Add the wine and bring just to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 2 to 3 hours.
• Season the ragu with salt, remove from the heat, and let cool.
• instructions
• Sauce can be stored in an airtight container for 1 week in the fridge or frozen for up to 6 months.
• ingredients
• Salt
• 1 1/2 pounds Fresh Taglietelle
• instructions
• To serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta 1 minute short of the packaged instructions. Drain, reserving pasta water for sauce.
• instructions
• In a large saute pan heat about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of sauce over medium. Add the cooked pasta and about a 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water. Stir to coat pasta.
• ingredients
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (plus more for garnish)
• Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Parsley (leaves picked and chopped)
• instructions
• Add 1/2 cup of Parmigiano and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir until creamy. Toss in the chopped parsley.
• instructions
• Serve and garnish each plate with a generous amount of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

WEEKNIGHT BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground sirloin and cook, crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the meat has lost its pink color and has started to brown. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 more minute. Pour 1 cup of the wine into the skillet and stir to scrape up any browned bits. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, stirring until combined. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a tablespoon of salt, a splash of oil, and the pasta, and cook according to the directions on the box.
• While the pasta cooks, finish the sauce. Add the nutmeg, basil, cream, and the remaining 1/4 cup wine to the sauce and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. When the pasta is cooked, drain and pour into a large serving bowl. Add the sauce and 1/2 cup Parmesan and toss well. Serve hot with Parmesan on the side.

RAGU BOLOGNESE BY MARIO BATALI

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the veal, pork, and pancetta, increase the heat to high, and brown the meat, stirring frequently. Add the tomato paste, milk, wine, and thyme and bring just to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Season the ragu with salt and pepper, remove from the heat, and let it cool. The ragu can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. It can also be frozen for up to 1 month.

MARIO BATALI'S FETTUCCINE BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat.
• Add onions, celery and garlic an saute until vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
• Increase heat to high; add veal, pork, pancetta or bacon and saute until meat is brown, breaking up meat with the back of a fork, about 10 minutes.
• Add tomatoes with their juices, 1 3/4 cups chicken broth, milk and thyme.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 1 hour 15 minutes, breaking up tomatoes with the back of a spoon, adding more chicken broth if mixture is too thick and stirring occasionally.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Cook fettuccine in large pot of boiling water just until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally.
• Drain.
• Add fettuccine to pot with ragu and toss to blend.
• Transfer to large bowl.
• Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan.
• Serve, passing remaining Parmesan seperately.