Sunday Ragù

So it’s Sunday once more and a Sunday favourite in my house is my Sunday Ragù. It’s like “Bolognese” sauce only different, if that makes any sense. This is a meat and tomato sauce using meat pieces instead of mince and 2 or 3 different types of meat. This sauce needs to “bubble” that’s the secret as it were. I normally bring it to the boil, cover the saucepan, turn the gas down to the minimum and allow it to bubble for up to 3 hours, the more it cooks, the better it is my mother in law always says! Here you go! Buona Domenica!
700g of veal, cut into chunks (if you don’t like veal a nice rump steak will do the trick)
200g of pork ribs
4 pork chops
4 Italian sausage  (I use one per person. If you can’t get Italian sausage a good quality beef sausage is fine)
2 onions
1.5 litres of Tomato passata (if you can’t find passata some good quality tinned tomatoes passed through the processer)
200g Extra virgin olive oil
1/4 of a litre of red wine
basil
salt and pepper

1. Heat a deep saucepan (one with a lid) on the hob
2. Add the oil and add the onion (chop it finely with a mezzaluna) and the meat to the saucepan
3. Let them cook for a few minutes just to colour the meat
4. Add the wine and allow it to “evaporate”. This takes about 5 minutes.
5. Add the passata and season with salt.
6. Bring to the boil and cover
7. Turn the heat down to the minimum and allow to “bubble” for 2 and a half to 3 hours. This is called “pippiare”
8. Stir the sauce often when it is bubbling on the hob, remember that sauce is stirred only with a wooden spoon and NEVER with a metal one!
9. Add the basil at the last minute to the sauce!
10. When it’s cooked I allow it to cool for about an hour before cooking the pasta, Penne rigate would be the best, or even better pennettone (big penne pasta)
11. When the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the saucepan again, add a little knob of butter and some sauce, put on a low heat and mix often so that the pasta absorbs the sauce.
12. Serve the pasta and turn on the heat back on under the sauce.
13. The meat is served as a main dish (secondo piatto) with some sauce and bread to “zuppare” (dip) into the sauce.

Enjoy!