Spaghetti al Ragù
The history of Neapolitan ragù has ancient roots and traces back to the traditional cuisine of Naples, one of the most important cities in Southern Italy. This sauce has developed over the centuries, and its evolution has been influenced by various cultures and culinary traditions.
The use of slowly cooked meat with vegetables and aromatics to create rich sauces dates back to antiquity. In the Middle Ages, in Naples, ingredients like beef and pork were often slow-cooked to make them more tender and flavorful. Over time, this culinary practice led to the creation of Neapolitan ragù.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Naples was a significant cultural and gastronomic center in Italy. Dishes based on ragù were very popular among the local population. Over the years, Neapolitan ragù became increasingly refined, with the addition of ingredients like tomatoes, which were introduced to the Americas and later incorporated into Italian cuisine.
Neapolitan ragù became a cornerstone of Italian cuisine and influenced many meat-based preparations and sauces throughout the country. Today, ragù alla napoletana is still widely appreciated, and its traditional recipe is often passed down from generation to generation.
What’s needed:
Tools:
1 big pot for the pasta water
2 big pots for the sauce
Food mill
Ingredients (serves 4 people)
21 oz dried tagliatelle
1 oz bone marrow
2 carrot
1 medium yellow onion
4 in of celery
9 oz Italian sausage (without fennel)
9 oz beef cheeks
9 oz beef oxtails
9 oz beef tongue (cook whole in simmering water for 1 hr)
9 oz white wine
2 Rosemary springs
2 Thyme springs
2 bay leaves
9 oz Tomato paste
0,6 gal meat broth (chicken or mixed)
How To:
This recipe is quite lengthy, both in preparation and cooking, so please stay with me. Begin by taking a large saucepan and melting the bone marrow with some olive oil over low heat. After a few minutes, add finely chopped carrots, onions, and celery. Let them cook for around five minutes.
Now, take a big nonstick skillet and place it over high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the sausage, breaking it into small pieces with your hands or with a fork. Once the sausage has released its fat, use paper towels to remove some of the excess. Transfer the sausage to the pan with the vegetables.
Return the skillet you used for the sausage to high heat. When hot, add the cheeks and oxtail. Flip the meat until it's golden brown on both sides. Add some of the wine and let it evaporate. Remove the meat and place it with the vegetables and sausage.
Once again, heat the empty skillet over high heat. Add the tongue and continue flipping until it's golden brown on both sides. Add the wine, stir for 30 seconds, then transfer everything to the other pan where the vegetables and meats have been simmering. Scrape the bottom of the pan!
Now, add the herbs to the pan along with the tomato paste, and cover the meat with the broth. Use a cartouche to cover everything, then set the heat to a point where everything is barely simmering. This should cook for at least two hours, or until the meat is tender.
When the meat is cooked, take it out and refrigerate it for 30 minutes. Discard all the herbs in the sauce.
Pass the sauce through a food mill or blender into another saucepan, making sure to scrape the bottom for the best flavors.
Remove the bones from the meat and cut everything into 0,2 inches cubes. Add everything back into the sauce.
For this recipe, you will cook the pasta in chicken broth rather than plain water. Boil the required amount of chicken broth, add salt, and then add the tagliatelle.
When the tagliatelle are almost ready, remove them from the broth and place them in the sauce. Finish cooking them there and add some chicken broth if it becomes too dry.
Turn off the heat, let everything rest for a minute, mix well, and then serve on a warm plate. You can add some grated Parmigiano cheese if desired.
