When I was a kid, I used to sit at the kitchen table on a weekend morning watching my mother chop mounds of onion, celery and carrots to begin her Sunday meat sauce. Soon the aroma of the onion gently sautéing in olive oil had my mouth watering which quickly resembled drooling. Mom patiently waited until the onions had softened to add in the carrots and celery and it was at that point that I was finally allowed to help stir the pot.

Continue reading A Bolognese and a Battuto at Our Italian Table.

Unlike many other Italian pasta sauces, Ragù Bolognese is serious stuff in Italy. Bearing little resemblance to the sauce in the USA of the same name, it is a very slow-cooked sauce with minimal tomatoes used to dress fresh tagliatelle pasta and make Lasagne alla Bolognese (lasagne with spinach pasta noodles). Unlike many other Italian pasta sauces, the key is not to overly brown the ingredients. If done right, the final product is a mild and comforting sauce that is well absorbed by the pasta.

Continue reading Ragù Bolognese at Our Italian Table.