Just as ragu Bolognese comes from Bologna, ragu Modenese comes from Modena, a city near Bologna. Where there are two large cities in the same region, there is also often a rivalry, and these two are no different. However, few cities have made it this far: hundreds of years ago, these two cities went to war in what is called cube war. Thousands of people have died and to this day, some say the real cube still hangs in Modena.
Things were no less competitive in terms of food, but while Bologna became famous for its stew, Modena's contribution to the food world was balsamic vinegar and the invention of tortellini. It wasn't because the Modena ragu wasn't as good, though, it was because the Bologna ragu was so over the top that he was taking everything 39; air out the room in the same way as the stuff upstairs.
Ragu Bolognese has always been for the ultra-rich. Done right, it offers several cuts of meat from different animals and its flavors are made from a ton of cream, cheese, and wine. Bologna was a very wealthy city in its heyday and loved to display this wealth through food. Even if "Bolognese sauce" is common these days, making a good and authentic Bolognese ragout will always cost you an arm and a leg, even in our modern world where food is mostly cheap compared to income.
Ragu Modenese, on the other hand, is a much more humble affair, and to me, that makes it that much better. It's easy to create an amazing sauce with dozens of exotic ingredients, but making something comparable with a few relatively inexpensive items is magical. Ragu Modenese is a simple sofritto, proscuitto, mortadella, pork, broth and cheese. There's nothing more to it, but about 5 to 6 hours it suddenly seems to magically turn into something you wouldn't think came from so few ingredients.
It was a great effort and an economical interpretation of ragu that I will make again and again. Both versions were amazing with any type of pasta, and strictly speaking, you should pair it with freshly prepared, yolk-heavy tagliatelle, but in the best package shape I had it with. It was the rifle.
cooking notes
I loved this sauce (so much) but I'm also quite lazy and mostly impatient. So I did it twice. Once conventionally, and again in an instant jar. They tasted the same, and in fact, if the Instant Pot version tasted better, don't spend 6-7 hours on low unless you enjoy it or don't have an Instant Pot.
You will notice that there is no tomato paste or garlic in this sauce. While writing this, I was reading Raguay's excellent pieces on the roads and in the kingdom and found some interesting quotes that apply to this recipe:
“The flesh can change depending on the circumstances. The liquid too. But the one thing a ragu never has is garlic. " – The original recipe correctly omits garlic, but I personally don't know if my North American palate really appreciates it. The next time you do that, there will be garlic.
"We've never had tomatoes in Emilia-Romagna, so how did they end up in the sauce?" Tomato is used to cover the wrong ingredients. " – He also asked for a few tablespoons of basic tomato sauce. When I made it the second time, I skipped the tomato and missed it, so I didn't include it here, but don't hesitate, if you like the taste of tomatoes.
“99 percent of ragu starts with machine-ground beef. But why?" – Finally, I made it with ground pork according to the original recipe, but if I had to do it again, I would skip a good pork shoulder. I've always found that shredded meat makes all the difference in a quality stew, and the long cooking time makes it particularly suitable.
How to make quality pasta in restaurants
One final note: the biggest difference between restaurant quality pasta and the pasta you make at home is the way you finish and sprinkle the pasta. The best way to finish this specific sauce is to cook the pasta 1 minute ahead of package time, then drain and transfer to a nonstick skillet with about 1/4 - 1/2 cup sauce per serving. Once the pasta is well in sauce, add chili cheese flakes as desired, and place on the plate. Take advantage immediately.
If you have an Instant Pot, this version is just as good and 4 to 5 hours faster.
Authentic Ragu Modenese Recipe
Cooking time 7 7 hours
Total time 7 7 hours 15 min
- 2 soup spoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 planet onion
- 1 little carrot
- 2 stems celery
- 4 4 ounces Prosciutto di Parma chopped
- 4 4 ounces mortadella chopped
- 1 book ground pork see note
- 1 parmesan crust about 2 ounces
- 1-2 pints chicken soup sodium free
- 2 cups reggiano parmigiano cheese finely grated
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Finely chop the onion, carrots, and celery.
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Chop your proscuitto, your mortadella and your ground pork.
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Add olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat and caramelize the onions, carrots, and celery deeply, about 5 minutes.
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Add the meat, Parmesan zest and enough broth to cover, then reduce the heat to a boil. Cover and simmer for 6 to 7 hours, checking every hour or so to make sure it hasn't dried out. Add stock if necessary.
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After simmering, add the cheese, then season with salt if necessary.
