Ragu Bolognese

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Fantastico Mario! I am fortunate to have a great butcher for some first class pork and veal and ground the meat myself just before cooking it. I did not change a thing from the original recipe. I took my time to render the meat down until the natural juices from the meat and veggies were nil and the meat could brown. I used a decent drinking wine. If you wouldn't drink it, then don't cook with it. OH MY WORD! Delicious! My Italian husband is going to flip when he gets home! Awesome! Thanks for sharing.

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I love Mario Batali, everything he does in the kitchen is ART!!! I make this recipe all the time for my family (its my husband's fav because it is so easy and fool proof. I can make it by hart now no need for me to look at this recipe anymore! If I could give this more stars I would. Perfect dish for the fall cooler weather too. Thank you Mario for making me an "Italian chef", or at least I've got my family fooled!

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Some of the substitutions I read about make me cringe! This recipe is FANTASTIC! I added some fresh oregano I had, and the meat I picked up from the butcher was a mix of ground pork/veal/beef. I was thinking meatballs. I also had sliced pancetta, so I diced it up.

I love Mario Batali's recipes! Very authentic!

NEWSFLASH-- To the "boiled meat" guy: the recipe DOES say to brown the meat.

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I have just made a happy mistake; I was going to make stuffed cabbage but started cooking the meat without thinking. Now what do I do, make bolongese sauce! So after the fact I am looking here to see if I was on the mark, Mario's Ragu Bolognese Sauce pops up. The difference is I used a jar of RAGU, all I had on hand and followed what I had seen Ann Burrell do on her show. It was delicious and spicy. Thank you Mario for introducing us to Ann. I know this is not the review people are looking for but it shows you can make a good thing out of a mistake and a jar of Ragu plus a little food TV knowledge.

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I got this recipe from Mario's book. Pretty easy. I used dry pasta...but, it worked well enough. i'm sure it would be better with fresh pasta. Agree with some others that it needed a little spicing up. I added some crushed red pepper and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. I doubled the fresh thyme. It didn't take long for the flavors to come together.

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I only wish that more of the so-called "italian restaurants" in the U.S. used recipes like this one instead of "marinara" sauces, and other quasi-italian debacles.
For a richer, heartier sauce, you can use 2 cans of italian stewed tomatoes, broken uo by hand, and let simmer for an additional 15-30 minutes. Also Excellent! Adittionally, if available, use fresh thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes for an extra level of flavor.

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First off, just want to say that I'm a big Mario fan. I own one of his cookbooks, and generally rave about everything he creates.

This bolognese, however, was just...bland. Completely agree with Robert; I would prefer to brown the meat a bit prior to adding, as it essentially became boiled meat. Also lacking a bit in the tomato department. Five cloves of garlic might be a bit a bit over the top. Had to go very heavy on the salt/pepper to make it a bit tastier...All of these criticisms may merely be personal preference, but the sauce just didn't seem to come together with a unified flavor. I doubt I would attempt this recipe again, and if I do I think browned meat, a bit less garlic, a can or two of diced tomatoes, and some additional spices might help the cause.

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This was a fabulous recipe. It was fairly easy to make, though the time to prep and cook took a little time. But it was not difficult at all. Well worth any effort you have to make as it is very yummy! I followed the recipe as stated and just needed to add a little bit (1/4 cup white wine more liquid towards the end of simmering as it began to dry out and stick to the pan. I served the Bolognese sauce over DeCecco Linguine pasta, not the green pasta in this recipe. My husband raved about his dinner, giving it 5 stars. I agree, this has a wonderful meld of flavors and a fantastic dish. I highly recommend it to all. Thank you Mr. Batali for a fantastic recipe that will remain in my keeper file.

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Cannot say enough good about this ragu. The pancetta gives it a subtle, authentic flavor. Relatively easy to put togther and capable of being adjusted here and there according to your taste. I usually grate the carrots with a microplane so that they dissolve, which imparts a pleasant color as well as flavor. I sometimes add a bit more tomato to this sauce, though aware that too much tomato probably departs from the authentic Northern Italian (I think flavor. Most highly recommended meat sauce. Batali is best!

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This recipe, as well as the "Molto Italiano" book version, skimps a little on details and explanation, though I haven't seen the actual episode. Mario has a video on winespectator.com (videos are free that does a much better job of leading you through the process. He also takes his time a little more preparing the dish (3 hrs. vs. 2 hrs. in the 5-minute video. Highly recommended before attempting the dish.