I tried to make a famous chef’s complicated Ragu recipe the other night for my bff and her family. Ragu… it takes a LONG time to get it just right. As in, 4 hours. However, in true mom fashion..
Things go wrong sometimes and I burnt the soffritto (minced veggies for the base of sauce)! I didn’t realize it until I added all of the meat, wine, stock, and other ingredients and tasted it. ICK! Burnt onion taste is hard to recover from. Two and a half hours down the drain. I blame my children for making me multitask! 🙂
Dinner guests are now arriving in 90 minutes. What to do?
Dump the burnt ragu in the yard for the deer and start over! This time, I made my OWN RECIPE. One that takes half the time and in true R&R style.. simple!
My “Triple R” Sauce
2 jars of Ragu thick and hearty traditional sauce (yes! it’s ok to use jarred sauce!)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground hamburger
1 medium onion, minced
4 medium carrots, peeled and minced
2 stalks of celery, washed and minced
2 tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 cups beef stock/broth
1 small Parmesan rind
Salt and pepper to taste
2 bay leaves
Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large dutch oven or nonstick pan and add ground hamburger, brown and remove from pan
Add soffritto ingredients (onion, carrot, celery) in leftover oil and saute on medium heat until ingredients have turned dark brown (NOT BURNT) – 20 to 30 minutes, stirring often
Add in garlic and red wine. Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove brown bits
Stir in Ragu sauce, beef stock, Parmesan rind, salt and pepper, and bay leaves
Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a low simmer. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes
Taste, taste, taste! Add more salt and pepper if needed. Also, add more red wine for a bolder burst of flavor. Add more Ragu sauce to make it sweeter. Add more beef stock to thicken.
Let simmer for another 20 minutes unless you are happy with the flavor and haven’t added any more ingredients!
Remove parmesan rind
Serve over your favorite pasta! I also sprinkle shaved fresh parmesan over the top, ENJOY!
