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Lack Italian ancestors? Fake it with homemade ragu

Photo from Jaden Hair

A ragu is a northern Italian hearty pasta sauce thick with ground or shredded meat and simmered with vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots and onions.

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By JADEN HAIR

Tribune correspondent

Published: September 22, 2009

Not being Italian (obviously), I have never been to Italy. But I can sure fake it in the kitchen. I put on the "Big Night" soundtrack, tuck a basil sprig behind my ear and tape a fake mustache on my upper lip. I may look like Jackie Chan impersonating The Swedish Chef from the Muppets, but with Rosemary Clooney belting out "Hey mambo, Mambo Italiano," and a pot of pasta sauce bubbling, who wouldn't think they were back in the old country?

I'm sharing with you a homestyle ragu sauce that I often make as a lazy dinner. A ragu is a northern Italian hearty pasta sauce thick with ground or shredded meat and simmered with vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots and onions. Sometimes milk or cream is added, but my version is pretty plain and simple. In fact, you can adapt the recipe based on your family's taste or whatever you have in your refrigerator.

I've made this recipe with ground beef, ground turkey, wild boar sausage and even portobello mushrooms in place of a meat. The secret to my sauce is two ingredients: the balsamic vinegar adds deep, dark, complex flavor notes and the sugar counters the acidity and harshness of canned crushed tomatoes.

If you have a slow-cooker, you can let it simmer all day.

Just brown the onion, garlic, bell pepper, carrot and ground pork on your stove and then combine everything together into your slow cooker to simmer for 6 hours or more. When you come home from work, you'll want to pop on "Big Night," glue on your fake mustache and shimmy like crazy while you boil the pasta.

HOMESTYLE RAGU PASTA SAUCE

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 pound ground pork
• One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 1 pound pasta (any shape)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

In a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the bell pepper and carrot to the pot and saute for 5 minutes until soft and caramelized.

Turn the heat to high and add the ground pork, using your spatula or spoon to break up any lumps. Saute for 5 minutes until browned. Add in the crushed tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, salt and sugar. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15-45 minutes (depending on how much time you have — the longer it cooks, the better it gets.)

In the meantime, boil a big pot of salted water and cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and toss with 1 teaspoon of olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking together. Taste the Pork Ragu Sauce and adjust with seasonings if needed.

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