Ragù alla Napoletana

Ragù is the traditional Sunday lunch for most southern Italian families: the tomato sauce dresses the pasta and the meat is served as a main course.

Ingredients

• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 500g/1lb 2oz topside of beef, chopped into medium-sized pieces
• 500g/1lb 2oz pork ribs
• 200g/7oz Italian pork sausages
• 2 tbsp tomato purée, diluted in 100ml/3½fl oz red wine
• 3 x 400g/14oz tins chopped tomatoes
• handful fresh basil leaves
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• pasta or bread, to serve

Preparation method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until softened.
2. Add the beef, ribs and sausages to the pan and continue to fry until the meat is browned all over (you may need to do this in batches).
3. Increase the heat, stir in the diluted tomato concentrate and continue to cook until the volume of the liquid is reduced by one-third.
4. Add the tomatoes and basil, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir well.
5. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook very gently for about two hours, or until the sauce is thick and silky. Stir from time to time, checking that there is enough moisture; if necessary add a little more wine or water.
6. Remove from the heat and serve with pasta as suggested above, or on its own with lots of good bread to mop up the rich tomato sauce.