Unshackled Ragu

Whenever I make a ragu I feel that I need to make it like a nona would in Emilia Romagna. This time I used my intuition and came up with this. Never have I included garlic in a ragu before. Avoid adding any pasta water when finishing the dish in pan at end.

carrot-onion-celery

ground veal-pork-beef (300 gr, 300 gr, 500 gr)

450 ml tin of Italian tomatoes

few tblsp of tomato paste

1 bay leaf

2 small spring thyme

2-3 cloves chopped garlic

half bottle robust white wine

parmesan rind

nutmeg

chopped serrano ham (or prosciutto butt)

Maldon sea salt

ground pepper

butter

single cream

home-made chicken stock

1. saute vegetables, followed by meat, serrano & nutmeg
2. add wine, let reduce, then tomatoes and paste
3. let reduce half hour, then add broth & parmesan, season with salt and pepper
4. cook on low heat five hours, adding broth if necessary along the way
5. add some cream during last half hour, butter last 10 minutes