Making your own ragu is rewarding. It takes time, and you want to have an entire day put aside to keep an eye on it. However, it tastes amazing and you can make a small amount of food go a long way. It is great with spaghetti and pretty much any pasta dish. We often use ours for sloppy joes as well. We pressure can ours when we make large batches, such as this recipe. You can also portion it out for freezing. It reheats very well.

Ingredients

  • 500g mince meat (ground meat) – I typically use a mix of pork and beef
  • 3-4 celery stalks
  • 2-3 carrots
  • 2 onions
  • Garlic
  • Fresh basil
  • Dry oregano (about 2 teaspoons)
  • Sweet paprika – powdered (about 3 teaspoons)
  • Olive oil
  • Tomato paste (about 1 tablespoon)
  • Tomato puree (passata di pomodoro)
  • Butter (optional)
  • Salt and black pepper
  • Sugar

Method

Add a generous amount of olive oil into a large pot. I like to use my cast iron pot for the sauce making. Place it on the stove on a medium heat, Once it has heated up slightly, add in the mince meat. Stir it for a few minutes to get all the meat coated and to break up the meat as much as possible. Let this cook for a little while. You want the meat to be slightly browned. You can get the vegetables ready while the meat browns.

Take your carrots, onions and celery to your chopping board. Cut them up so that they are quite fine. You can use a food processor or grater as well. You just want it to be fine enough that they will mostly cook away into the sauce. Once you are done, the meat should be just about lgihtly browned.

Remove the meat from the pot and set aside while you cook the vegetables. Turn down the heat to low before you add in the vegetables. Here you have the option to add in some butter if you would like the onions to caramelize just a touch. The combination of finely chopped carrots, celery and onions is called a soffritto. This is essential to many Italian dishes, particularly in Tuscany. They are the base flavours. Cook them until they have softened and the onions are transparent. Remember to stir them frequently to avoid burning or sticking.

Now add the basil and garlic to cook a little bit before adding the tomato paste to the pot. Once that is all mixed together, you can add in the black pepper, salt, oregano, and sweet paprika. If it feels too stiff, you can add some water. Now add the mince meat back to the pot. Mix together well.

Now it is time for the tomato puree. Add it all in and then use the jar/tin to get some water for the pot. This way you can collect the remaining puree as well. You want to add close to the same amount of puree to the pot. Add a little bit of sugar and then let it cook on a low heat for up to 2 hours. Stir frequently.