Delicious Italian tradition: Mastering authentic spaghetti bolognese

Spaghetti with bolognese sauce is one of the most recognizable dishes of Italian cuisine, delighting taste buds around the world.

Ragu alla bolognese, as the name suggests, originates from Bologna, Italy. Initially, it was a stew made from various meat, vegetables, and spices, served with tagliatelle pasta. Over time, the recipe started to evolve, and instead of tagliatelle, spaghetti strands began to be used in other regions of Italy. Today, no one frowns upon this change, and outside of Italy, spaghetti has outranked tagliatelle in popularity for pairing with bolognese sauce.

In the original recipe, various types of meat are used, such as beef, pork, and sometimes even game meat. Although it is a meat sauce, it must include celery and carrots. The entire dish is simmered with wine, as befits an Italian recipe. This dish requires time and is far from a quick dinner; to bring out the full essence of the sauce, it needs to be simmered for several hours. However, it is worth the patience.

Ingredients:

• 500 grams of beef neck,
• 500 grams of pork neck,
• 1 large carrot,
• 2 stalks of celery,
• 1 onion,
• 60 millilitres of olive oil,
• 2 cloves of garlic,
• 200 millilitres of dry red wine,
• 800 grams of canned tomatoes, preferably San Marzano,
• 400 millilitres of broth,
• 1 handful of fresh basil,
• 120 millilitres of milk.

Instructions:

Step 1. Grind the meat in a meat grinder; you can buy it pre-ground.

Step 2. Dice the carrot, onion, and celery finely. Also, chop the tomatoes if they are not already in pieces.

Step 3. Heat the olive oil in a pot and add the diced vegetables. When they are translucent, add the ground meat and mix. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 4. Spaghetti bolognese sauce cannot do without wine—pour it into the meat. Also add the broth, chopped tomatoes, and fresh basil. Simmer the sauce covered for 3-4 hours on low heat. Near the end of simmering, add the milk, stir, and bring to a boil.

Step 5. Serve the ready sauce with cooked spaghetti or tagliatelle, garnished with grated Parmesan. Enjoy!