Ragu Bianco with Pappardelle

by Jessica Nguyen

 

This ragu is a 'white bolognese' that doesn't use tomatoes, so there's no place to hide when it comes to the sauce. It's all about the meat in this sauce. I've used a mixture of beef mince and pork sausage to get a nice balance of flavour and texture. Its crucial to brown the meat properly at the start before you cook everything else in order to extract as much flavour from the meat as you can. Chopping the sofrito as fine as you can also is important so that it essentially melts into the sauce. 

 

Serves- 6-8 people

Ingredients- 16

Cooking Time- 3 hours (allow 30 minutes prep and 2.5 hours cooking/simmering)

Skill Level- Easy



Ingredients

500g beef mince

4 (400g) pork sausages. Pork and fennel are a good option.

1 stalk of celery, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 brown onion, finely chopped

½ fennel bulb, finely chopped and optional

1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped

1 cup of white wine. I’ve used Robert Mondavi Buttery Chardonnay from Dan Murphys.

2.5 cups of chicken stock

2-3 bay leaves, optional if you have some

1 parmesan rind, optional if you have some

Pinch of nutmeg, grated, optional

1 tbsp fish sauce or salt

½ cup (125ml) milk

Your choice of pasta, allow 100-150g per person. I used fresh lasagne sheets that I cut into pappardelle. Otherwise Tagliatelle or even a rigatoni work well with this pasta.

½ cup parmigiano reggiano cheese, finely grated for topping

Wine Pairing- I’ve specifically chosen this Robert Mondavi Buttery Chardonnay from Dan Murphys as the wine to cook with but also serve with the pasta as it’s great value under $25 but also delicious. Serve it chilled and you’ll love way the cold buttery chardonnay matches the creamy ragu.


Method

  1. Heat a deep pot/pan and add some oil. Brown the beef mince by placing small burger patty like disks and be careful to not overcrowd the pan. This will allow the outside to brown and crisp up which will give the ragu most of its flavour later. Remove and set aside whilst you do the same with the sausages.

  2. Remove the sausages meat from their casings and brown in the same pot. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the until it resembles a chunky mince. Stir fry in the pot until it’s golden brown on the outside. Remove and set aside with the mince.

  1. Add another glug of olive oil to the pot and then add in the carrot, celery, onion and fennel, cooking on medium for about 5 minutes until they sweat and become fragrant. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

  2. Pour in the white wine to deglaze the bottom of the pot and lift off all of the brown fond. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the alcohol evaporates.

  3. Add the mince and sausages back into the pot, pour in the chicken stock, mix to combine and bring to the boil.

  4. Add in bay leaves, parmesan rind, nutmeg and fish sauce/salt and bring down to a simmer. Cover with the lid and place on the lowest hob/heat setting and allow to simmer for 2 hours. Check in with the ragu every 30 minutes and give it a stir so the bottom doesn’t burn.

  5. After 2 hours, the ragu should be reduced and flavourful. Pour in the milk and mix to combine. This rounds out the richness of the meat and makes the sauce creamy. Season with salt and pepper to balance the ragu. You can serve this immediately or even better, allow it to cool down, place into the fridge in an airtight container and enjoy the next day (it will taste even better) or freeze.


To serve

  1. Boil the pasta in salted booking water until al dente.

  2. Meanwhile in a pan, place a few ladles of the ragu and heat it. Add the pasta and a few ladles of starchy pasta water to the pan. Cook for a few minutes for the pasta to absorb the sauce.

  3. Serve immediately topped with some grated parmesan and a glass of the chilled chardonnay.

Watch the Process

 

Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published

Back to Recipes