Ragu alla bolognese is one of the most misrepresented dishes in the world. The Accademia Italiana della Cucina lodged a recipe with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce in 1982 and updated it in 2023. It is worth knowing what that recipe contains before deciding to depart from it.
What is in it
Beef, preferably a cut with connective tissue. Fresh pork belly or pancetta. Onion, carrot and celery in a fine soffritto. Tomato passata or concentrate, in a small quantity. Dry white wine. Whole milk. Stock. Salt and pepper. That is the dish.
What is not in it
No garlic. No herbs. No large volume of tomato. Bolognese is a meat sauce with tomato in it, not a tomato sauce with meat in it. If your finished ragu is red rather than brown, there is too much tomato.
Why the milk
Milk goes in partway through the cook. The lactose adds a faint sweetness and the proteins tenderise the meat, in the same way a dairy marinade does. It also softens the acidity of the wine and the tomato. Add it before the tomato, let it cook away almost completely, then continue.
Time is the ingredient
A proper ragu needs two to four hours at the barest simmer, uncovered enough to reduce but not so much that it dries. Collagen in the beef needs that time to turn to gelatin, which is what gives the sauce its body. There is no shortcut. A thirty minute ragu is a different dish.
Serve it with tagliatelle
In Bologna it is served with fresh egg tagliatelle, not spaghetti. The wide rough surface of fresh pasta holds the sauce. Finish it in the pan with a little pasta water and a knob of butter, and grate Parmigiano Reggiano over at the table.
Frequently asked questions
Is spaghetti bolognese Italian?
The sauce is. The pairing with spaghetti is not traditional in Bologna, where tagliatelle is used.
Can I use only beef?
You can, but the pork adds fat and depth. Without it the sauce is leaner and less rounded.
Do I have to add milk?
It is in the registered recipe and it changes the texture noticeably. Try it once with and once without.
How long will it keep?
Three days refrigerated, three months frozen. Like most braises, it improves on the second day.
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