Ragù Bolognese à la Mandy

This is probably my family's favorite dish, we eat it almost every week. We buy the meat from a local farm, check your farmer's market and look for farmers from your area! Leftovers (if any) are so good and tasty the next day.

Serves Family of 4

What you'll need:

• Cutting board (we replaced all plastic ones with wooden boards because of micro plastics)

• Cast iron dutch oven 4.5-6 qt. or other big pot

• A sharp knife to cut the veggies

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 2-3 tablespoons of good olive oil

• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped

• 2 medium sized carrots, finely chopped

• 1 small zucchini (optional)

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• 500g (about 1 lb) ground beef (min. 15-22% fat content)

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1/2 cup white wine

• 1/2-1 cup organic tomato sauce (marinara) (like lucini or Victoria)

• Gluten-free fettuccine (such as Caponi brand, because they are hands down the BEST GF Pasta I had in a long time) Or your favorite regular tagliatelle

• Parmeggiano (optional)

Instructions:

1. Prepare the sofritto:

   In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped celery, carrots, and onion, and sauté until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure the vegetables don't burn.

   
   

2. Cook the ground beef:

   Add the ground beef to the pot and cook until browned and fully cooked through, breaking it apart with a spoon as it cooks. This should take about 8-10 minutes.

3. Season and deglaze:

   Season the beef mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Pour in the white wine and let it cook down for a few minutes until it has reduced slightly.

   
   

4. Add the tomato sauce:

   Stir in the tomato sauce (not too much!) and let the mixture simmer gently, uncovered. Cook for an additional 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the flavors meld together. If using zucchini, add it in the end, it only takes a few minutes to cook.

   
   

5. Final seasoning:

   Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.

   
   

6. Prepare the pasta:

   While the sauce is simmering, cook the gluten-free fettuccine according to package instructions. Drain the pasta and toss with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.

   
   

7. Serve:

   Serve the ragu over the cooked fettuccine, and enjoy!

The Ragu is meant to be very simple and should not be drenched in tomato sauce, stir well before serving, all the taste is in the oil now ! :-)

TIP: prep the veggies in the morning or the day before and store in air tight container, then your ragu is on the table in 35 mins!!