The best Ragu recipe Ever: Evan Funke's Bone Marrow Bolognese.
By far the most delicious and amazing Ragu I've had, Evan's Ragu Bolognese from HBO's Selena + Chef absolutely nocked our socks off. Didn't hurt that we had fresh pasta from Osteria La Buca, bread from Tartine, beautiful cast iron from Butter Pat industries, and a lovely selection of drinks from The Bruery and Hanson's of Sonoma to wash it all down. Recipe below.
2 ½ Pounds Beef Chuck
2 ½ Pounds of Beef Bone Marrow (About 5 Bones Cut Into 2-Inch Pieces)
1 Large Yellow Onion, Peeled And Diced Large
3 Stalks of Celery, Diced Large
1 Large Carrot, Peeled And Diced Large
3 Ounces Rendered Pork Fat
2½ Ounces Pancetta
4 Ounces Prosciutto Di Parma Kosher Salt, To Taste
1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1½ Cups Of Sangiovese (Or Another Dry, Fruity Red Wine)
2 Cups Tomato Passata*
2 Cups Chicken Stock
*Passata is an uncooked tomato puree that has been strained of skins and seeds. You can purchase from a grocery store as “strained tomatoes”
Set up a meat grinder attachment for a Kitchen Aid Mixer, if you don’t have one you can ask your local butcher to grind your meats for you. Begin ragu by grinding chuck into a bowl, set aside. Grind remaining meats: pancetta and prosciutto into another bowl, set aside. Grind all the vegetables in the meat grinder into a bowl. Alternatively, if you don’t have a grinder, pass them through a food processor, pulsing until fine. Heat a la Heat a large, heavy-bottom saucepot (about 5-quart Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Roast the bone marrow for 30 minutes on a sheet pan at 400 degrees f. then remove all the marrow and residual oils to a container. Melt pork fat, adding prosciutto and pancetta, cooking until rendered, about 4 minutes. Add ground veggies and stir. Cook the vegetables, stirring frequently until a sweet aroma forms, around 15 minutes. Add the ground beef and bone marrow, season generously with sea salt and black pepper. Mix the meat with the vegetables with a wooden spoon. Cook for 4-6 minutes stirring occasionally, once you see the juices start to run, add red wine and stir to incorporate. Once you see a whisper of steam, add the tomato passata and stir to incorporate. Reduce heat to low and gently. Add the stock and reduce heat to low. Gently simmer sauce, a gentle bubble every minute. Taste. At this point it should taste slightly under seasoned. As it reduces the flavors will intensify. Cook for 3-5 hours stirring occasionally every 15 minutes or so, until the beef and pork are tender and flavors are concentrated. Taste sauce again, re-season and remove from heat. Sauce will keep in fridge for up to 7 days and in a freezer for up to 6 months in an airtight container.