My ultimate Italian ragù sauce

If you have ever had a disappointing ragù and want an excellent recipe for a rich, flavoured-packed version, then look no further.

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This ragù is a far cry from those overly acidic sauces or the sweetened commercial ones. Although it takes several hours to make, most of that time is simply waiting for the sauce to reduce in the oven while you get on with other things.

For me, this ragù is sublime eaten with ribbons of pasta and a generous shaving of Parmesan, but it makes the very best lasagne when layered with pasta and a white sauce.

About the recipe

I have been using this recipe for over 30 years, since I first saw it made on a lunchtime TV show. I have since adapted it somewhat. I use white wine which for me allows the other flavours to shine more than if using red wine. I also add a star anise, bay leaves and freshly grated nutmeg. These might not be authentic inclusions, but they really make a great difference to the final ragù.

I always make a sauce such as this in bulk, portioning the sauce once it has made and freezing some of it. But if you have a lot of people over, this amount will serve about 10 generously.

You can half the recipe below if you prefer, which will give enough sauce for a large lasagne.

Browning the meat or not

The browning of the meat adds a lovely depth of flavour. I find it more effective to put the mince on a tray, flatten it out, and cook in a hot oven until it goes brown, with many gorgeously dark crusty bits here and there.

However, I have made this without browning the meat at all, just adding it once the veg have sweated, and it still gives a rich, luxurious sauce.

Don’t panic about the amount of butter!

It is butter that gives such a beautiful rich creaminess to the sauce, tempering the acidity of the tomato and doing wonders for the overall flavour. I’ve made this with a little olive oil when cooking the bacon and the vegetables, but butter takes this ragù into an entirely different league.

There might seem to be a lot of butter, but as this recipe makes a large amount of sauce, each serving has a relatively small amount of butter.

If you really want to reduce the butter you can go for about half the amount, but using all the butter really does makes a better sauce!

Recipe: my ultimate Italian ragù  – serves 10 generously

• 250g unsalted butter (yes 250g, but this does serve 10!)
• 150g pancetta or smoked bacon, trimmed and chopped finely
• 2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 sticks of celery, trimmed and finely chopped
• 1 star anise
• 8 fat cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 750g minced beef (about 5-10% fat)
• 500g minced pork (about 5-10% fat)
• 300ml beef stock
• 500ml good white wine
• 300g tomato purée
• 2 tins good quality tomatoes
• a bag – about 30g – basil leaves, roughly chopped
• 3 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon finely grated nutmeg

(1) Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan).

(2) Place the meat on a baking tray lined with greaseproof and spread out. Place into the oven on a high shelf for about 40 minutes or until the meat goes very brown all over the surface with a few crust bits. Turn the oven down to 110°C.

(3) Melt the butter in a large oven-proof pan or casserole dish and add the chopped bacon, onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Sweat gently for about 20 minutes, stirring from time to time.

(4) Add the star anise, bay leaf and the browned mince to the pan. Add the stock and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the liquid has reduced a bit. Remove and discard the star anise.

(5) Add the wine, tomato purée, tins of tomatoes, basil, oregano and nutmeg. Give it all a stir and bring to a gentle simmer. Remove and discard the bay leaves.

(6) Put the lid on (or cover with foil) and place in the oven to let it cook very gently for 2 hours.

(7) Remove from the oven, take off the lid or foil and simmer on the hob over a low heat for about 15 minutes to give a thicker sauce with no visible liquid. It is now ready to serve and enjoy.