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Ragù Bolognese with Chokeberry Wine

Ragù Bolognese with Chokeberry Wine

Ingredients for preparation (2 servings)

  • 200 g ground beef
  • 100 g ground pork
  • 40 g smoked bacon
  • 200 g tagliatelle or pappardelle pasta
  • 30 g aged cheese, e.g. Parmesan
  • 1 onion
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or rapeseed oil
  • 15 g butter
  • 80 ml dry chokeberry wine
  • 150 ml tomato passata
  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste
  • 80-120 ml beef or vegetable stock
  • 50 ml 3.2% milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  • a pinch of dried oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Finely chop the onion, carrot and celery. In ragù bolognese, the vegetables should slowly break down and create a sweet, aromatic base for the sauce.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the finely chopped bacon and fry for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, until the fat begins to render and the meat is lightly browned.
  3. Add the butter, onion, carrot and celery to the bacon. Fry slowly for 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently. The vegetables should soften and become slightly translucent, but they should not burn.
  4. Add the ground beef and pork. Increase the heat slightly. Break up the meat with a spatula and fry for 8-10 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the meat begins to brown lightly. This is when the sauce develops its deep flavour.
  5. Mix the meat with the tomato paste and fry for about 1 minute. Briefly frying the tomato paste removes its raw acidity and gives it a fuller flavour.
  6. Pour in the chokeberry wine. Stir, scraping all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until some of the alcohol has evaporated and the liquid has reduced noticeably. Chokeberry wine will add a fruity tartness and depth to the sauce, complementing the beef, tomatoes and long-cooked vegetables.
  7. Pour in the tomato passata, add the bay leaf and a little pepper and salt. Pour in 80 ml of stock. The sauce should be moist but not watery.
  8. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cook the sauce under a slightly ajar lid for 60-90 minutes. Stir every few minutes and check that the sauce is not sticking to the bottom. If it thickens too much, add 2 tablespoons of stock at a time.
  9. After 45 minutes of simmering, pour in the milk and mix thoroughly. The milk mellows the acidity of the tomatoes and the fruity tartness of the chokeberry wine, while also rounding out the flavour of the meat.
  10. Once the sauce has finished simmering, remove the bay leaf. Taste the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. If the tomatoes or wine have made it too acidic, add a pinch of sugar.
  11. Cook the pasta al dente in well-salted water. Reserve 3-4 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water.
  12. Transfer the pasta to the pan with the ragù. Add 2 tablespoons of the cooking water and stir over low heat for several dozen seconds, until the sauce coats the pasta well. Finally, you can add a small piece of butter or a few drops of olive oil.

 

The dish is best served immediately in warmed, deep plates. Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan on top and add a little freshly ground pepper. Tagliatelle or pappardelle pair particularly well with this sauce, as the wide ribbons hold the thick, long-cooked ragù well.