Recipe Neapolitan Ragout

[MypinchofItaly]

Serves: 4 | Preparation time: 30 mins | Cooking time: 5 to 8 hours

• Meat: 1 kg
  You can choose which cuts of meat you want to include in your ragout. The traditional mix includes: beef ribs, beef or veal chops, pork ribs, all cut into medium-large chunks
• Tomato sauce: 700 g
• Red wine: 1 glass
• White onions: 2
• Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO): 5 tbsp
• Salt and pepper: to taste

Method

If you’re using beef ribs, cut away the fat. Dice the meat into chunks of approximately 4cm. Chop up the onions and stir-fry them in a Dutch oven until soft, then add the meat chunks. Stir continuously over medium to low heat to prevent the onions from burning.

Tip: If you do not own a Dutch oven, you can use a steel pot with a thick bottom.

Once the meat had browned evenly, pour in the wine and let it simmer over high heat until it evaporates completely.

Pour in the tomato sauce, season to taste with salt and pepper, stir thoroughly.

Cover with a lid, leaving a wooden spoon between the lid and the pot so that the lid is not completely closed: this will prevent the sauce from burning, as it will retain some humidity inside the pot and it will also allow some of the steam to escape, thereby thickening the sauce.

Leave Neapolitan Ragout to cook over extremely low heat for 5 to 6 or even 8 hours, but keep an eye on it every now and then by stirring it. If needed, add some water to prevent the sauce from burning.



Serve Neapolitan Ragout with pasta al dente.