I love this picture of Luca & Hubby in Tuscany, you can see the beautiful landscape behind them and they look so relaxed and happy, they are a funny pair together and love each other to bits, bless them.

 
And so to the reason that I have decided to add this recipe to the Blog, I must admit, nothing to do with Luca or Hubby but last night whilst having a drink in The Bell with my Boss (Prosecco of course) he advised me that the Blog was a little on the biased side, and he’s right, there is a lot of sugar and very little spice, so I thought following on with my Italian theme today I would add this gorgeous ragu recipe.
 
I wish I could say that this is a family recipe past down by Simon & Stephen’s Nonna, as she made the most amazing ragu and we always had it for lunch on a Saturday, but I am afraid I don’t have it, but I am hoping that Simon may be able to get it for me and at some point post it on the Blog, so please watch this space.
 
So anyway, this one is for you David and I will try in future to balance the Blog, but I’m not promising anything with my sweet tooth.
 
Buon appetito.
 
Makes over 1 litre (I always use half & freeze half for another day)
 
10g dried mushrooms (I sometimes use fresh & they work just as well)
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
a small bunch of fresh parsley, leaves chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 stalk of celery, trimmed and finely chopped
500g minced ground beef
2 Italian sausages, about 80g, skinned & crumbled, if you have any problems getting them, just use pancetta cubes.
750ml red wine
100g tomato passata (all being well, if my tomatoes do well I will be making my own passata this year and of course will be posting the recipe).
2 tablespoons tomato paste (puree)
 
Soak the mushrooms in a cup of warm water for about 10 minutes to reconstitute them, if using the dried ones. Squeeze out the water and finely chop the mushrooms. Strain the water to use in the ragu. If using fresh just chop finely.
 
Heat the olive oil in a wide saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, parsley, carrot and celery. Saute for about 10 minutes, mixing with a wooden spoon until softened and lightly golden.
 
Add the meat and the sausage meat (pancetta cubes) and saute on a medium heat until all the moisture from the meat has evaporated and the meat begins to brown. Add the red wine and cook until a lot of it has evaporated. Add the tomato passata and the paste, the mushrooms and the strained mushroom water. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 2 – 2 1/2 hours on a low heat. Add a little water when necessary to prevent the sauce from sticking and to maintain a good sauce consistency. Stir frequently to prevent the sauce from sticking.
 
The ragu can be used for lasagne, and spooned over pasta and gnocchi, which ever way you enjoy it I can highly recommend having a large glass of vino rosso with it, an espresso after and of course a sneaky, naughty little limoncello.