La Barese (pronouced 'Ba-ay-se')

[di reston]

The world seems to think that Bolognese sauce is the only sauce for pasta!

The opposite is true: the following recipe - Ragù Barese - another of Italy's great sauces.

Bari lies on the south-eastern coast of Italy. For centuries the people of that area fought the intrusions of the saracen army. It is an area wealthy thanks to the ground around there made agrigulture very very lucrative even now.

The 'Baresi' lived well, and the testament of that is the opulant way they live

. There are 4 ragu's known as 'i Grandi' - the great ragu's'. La Barese is lavish. Here is the recipe:

The feature of this ragù is the mix of cubes of beef, pork and lamb and then veal rolls with a stuffing.....Can you standard it!!

The charactic of La Barese is that it's a combination of stewed beef, lamb, and pork, and then at another stage you add veal rolls as well. Well, I did warn you!

Here goes:

For the ragù

1 can top quality tomato sauce, or make your own, which I do.
400g canned tomatoes
Equal quantities each of chopped white onion, celery and carrot, based on quantities of 8 oz each
Put aside.

Beat the veal slices thin, flour, spread grated parmesan cheese on each escalope, herbs of your preference, garlic, mashed, don't forget the parsley, thin slices of bacon. Then, roll them up and secure them with toothpicks.


The tomato sauce:

400g crushed tomatoes
Again, a palm full of white onions, finely chopped, same with carrot and celery.
1 glass white wine - if possible, drinking wine. Get a bottle, use the right quantity, and drink the rest! (chef's privilege)
stock cube.

Having done that

Put it all in the oven on a low heat for 5 hours. Yes, it's 5 hours! Let there be a crust on the base of the pan - that's one of the things that makes this good.


This is one of the best classic ragù's.


All the best to you all

di reston


Peeple of ze wurl, relax

The parrot from Tom Robbin's 'Fierce invalids home from hot climates

 

[cara]

where have the beef, lamb and pork gone or am I just blind?

 

[di reston]

The three meats are an essential part of this - they start the stew before the veal rolls. Fry them for a while and then set them aside while you fry the veal rolls, then put them together and braise them until done. Wine is important at this stage, and then prolonged braising.

di reston


Peeple of ze wurl, relax

Tom Robbins - Fierce invalides home from hot climates

 

[GotGarlic]

The three meats are an essential part of this - they start the stew before the veal rolls. Fry them for a while and then set them aside while you fry the veal rolls, then put them together and braise them until done. Wine is important at this stage, and then prolonged braising.

di reston


Peeple of ze wurl, relax

Tom Robbins - Fierce invalides home from hot climates

Di, you have not included the three meats in the recipe. How much of each? How are they prepared? Chunks, diced, minced? We need details.

 

[Rascal]

Too much time for me, sounds good.

Russ

 

[di reston]

First, prepare the veal rolls. Set aside.
The accompanying meats are: 4oz lean beef cubes, pork cubes, lamb cubes plus a small handful of bacon mini cubettes.

For this part of the recipe, it should be as per meat stew. So, as per recipe for the cubed meats, make up a 3-meat stew. That can be started and on its way while you make up the veal rolls. These are very easy to do. The veal rolls can be added to this dish half an hour - 3/4 hour later. Cooking time: Mininum 5 hours. You can even put them in the oven overnight, adjusting your oven temperatures accordingly, although the scrapings of the stew at the bottom of the dish are considered essential.

It seems a lot to do to make this epic ragù. It's a family affair: 5 pairs of hands make all the difference. Raise a glass with the whole family, and my, does it make a wonderful Sunday lunch: simple antipasto with salami and bread, dessert purchased from the local bakery, or one of the family who does a good traditional dessert. It certainly makes you happy to be around!

 

[di reston]

An alternative preparation for the veal rolls: after you've flattened the veal escapalopes, line one side with very thin cured sheets of ham. Follow that with your Grana Padana, grated fine, add the other ingredients -garic, parsley.

I'm sorry to have presented things wrong way round, however, this will put this into better order.

You Italo-Americans over there will enjoy getting together


I've got 3 more recipes that Italy regards as 'The Great Ragùs', I'll make sure that I present them decently!!!

di reston


Peeple of ze wurl, relax!
Tom Robbins - Fierce invalids home from hot climates

 

[di reston]

La Napoletana

5tbsp evoo
1 small white onion, very finely chopped
1lb 2oz topside of beef
70z Italian pork sausages
1 2oz pork ribs
2 tbsp tomato purèe, diluted in 3 100 3 1/2 floz red wine
3 x 400cans chopped tomatoes
Handful fresh basil leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Serve either pasta (tortiglioni or similar) or bread

Heat the oil in the skillet and cook the chopped onion until it's golden brown
Add the meats and brown these - you may need to do this in batches.
Increase the heat and now put the tomato concentrate and cook to reduce the volume by one third.

Add the other tomatoes and the basil, season with salt and fresh ground black pepper, and stir well.

Bring to the boil then lower the heat to a glooping simmer, cover the pan and cook very gently for 2 hours,and the volume is lowered by 1 third, and is silky in appearence.

This ragù needs a lot of attention, but it's well worth it. You can tell when it's done because it has a silky appearance and this, at this stage, is thicker.
You may need to add more liquid - water or wine.

You're all very competent at doing things like this. Having said this, this is a ragù for the family to enjoy - and what could be nicer than a Sunday spent with your favourite people.


di reston


Peeple of ze wurl, relax!

Tom Robbins, fierce invalids home from hot climates

 

[di reston]

I've come across a very interesting article all about what here they call 'I Grandi', so I'm minded translate it and post it.

Would you be interested to read it? Let me know.

di reston


Peeple of ze wurl, relax

Tom Robbins
Fierce invalids home from ho climates

 

[di reston]

La Genovese

Genova lies along the western Italian Riviera. This recipe is very simple. In actual fact, in spite of the fact that in would seem to come from that area of Italy, the truth is that in reality the origins of this recipe are rooted in Naples.

This is a 'White' sugo, meaning no tomatoes.

Cima Genovese

320g Tortellini
60g celery
1 bay leaf
fine salt to taste
60g carrots , finely chopped
1 bunch fresh parsley
60g finely chopped onion
100g best white wine
Olive oil to taste
S and P
Parmesan cheese to taste

This ragù dates back to the 17 - 18 centuries, when this was scarce for a dish like this.

Funnily enough, the other day I made a lasagna and forgot to put the tomatoes in. It was delicious!

di reston

Peeple of the wurl, relax!

Fierce invalids home from hot climates

 

[di reston]

La Bolognese - Ragù alla Bolognese


This is the version of 'Spag-Bog' as it affectionaly referred to by the millions of people who enjoy it. Bologna is a city somewhat south - but not much. It's a city noted for its rich grastronomy.

Some time ago, the Accademia Italiana della Cucina registered the following recipe because of the way the many people all over the world felt that anything resembling the true Ragù alla bolognese could be done with ingredients far away from that was the real one.

Here it is: This is a true transation of the original in Italian:


Ingredients:

300g minced beef, coarsely ground
150 bacon cubes
50g carrots,
50g celery
50g onion
300g tomato sieved
1/2 glass dry white wine
1/2 glass (wine glass) milk
A little,
Olive oil or butter
salt and pepper
1/2 glass whipping cream.


Use either a terracotta heat-proof pot or heavy alumunium pot,20cm in size. Finely cut the bacon/ham cut into small cubes by hand.Add the 3 spoonsful.
Add 3 spoonsful of Evoo, or 50g butter.

Add the chopped vegetables and soften them gently. Now add the finely minced meats, and stir until you can see a gentle 'sizzle'. Now add the wine, until it's nearly eveparated, and then add the crushed tomato. Now cook for about 2 hours. Next add the milk, to soften the acidity. Season with salt and pepper. Cook further, and the cream when the sauce is cooked. Heat up to the correct temperature, slowly. That's it!

Enjoy.


di reston


Peeple of ze wurl, relax!

Tom Robbins
Fierce invalids home from hot climates

 

[cara]

you really use milk in the Ragu in Piemonte?
This is new to me.

 

[di reston]

It was to me until a chef friend told me!


di reston