Ragù alla Bolognese Autentico
Bologna, Emilia-Romagna
The authentic Bolognese ragù as registered with the Accademia Italiana della Cucina in 1982: beef (cartella — plate cut), pancetta, onion, carrot, celery, tomato paste (not passata), dry white wine, whole milk, and beef broth. Cooked minimum 4 hours. The proportions are precise: meat predominates over tomato (barely 1 tablespoon of paste); milk is added mid-cooking to tenderise the meat; wine goes in early and must fully evaporate before adding liquid. It is not a tomato sauce with meat — it is a meat sauce with tomato. Served only with fresh egg tagliatelle or baked into lasagne verdi.