CHRISTMAS EVE RAGÙ
Our famous Christmas Eve Ragù is here! Michael and I first made this dish almost ten years ago for our family. That meal was such a huge hit, we now serve it every December 24th … by request! The sauce takes about three hours to cook down, but the result is an absolute flavor bomb. This is the perfect winter comfort meal. Trust us, you’ll lick the plate!
CHRISTMAS EVE RAGÙ
The original version for this sauce comes from Anne Burrell’s cookbook, “Cook Like A Rock Star.” *Pro-Tip! Make this ragù the night before to simplify hosting an important holiday meal … because doesn’t every great meat sauce taste better the next day?
INGREDIENTS
2 onions, cut into 1-inch dice
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 stalks celery
1 fennel bulb
Olive oil, Extra virgin
Kosher salt
2 cups tomato paste
3 cups hearty red wine
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 pound sausage, spicy Italian, casings removed
2 bay leaves
1 thyme bundle, tied with butcher's twine
1 pound spaghetti (or preferred pasta shape)
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Olive oil, for drizzling
DIRECTIONS
Put the onions, fennel, celery and garlic in a food processor and purée to a coarse paste.
Coat the bottom of a wide, deep pan with olive oil, add the puréed veggies, season with salt and cook over medium-high heat until all the liquid has evaporated and the veggies begin to stick to the pan— you want to brown them so much a crud starts to form on the bottom of the pan. Stir occasionally to scrape up the brown bits then let the crud form again. Be patient here and don’t rush it – this is where the big flavor develops. It will take up to 30 minutes.
When the lovely brown crud has formed and been scraped down a couple of times, add the tomato paste, stirring to combine. Let it start to brown a little and continue stirring for 2-3 minutes. There’s not much liquid at this point to keep things from burning, so be careful and move fast.
Add both the sweet and spicy sausage and, using a spoon to break it up, cook until the meat is brown (this is where another round of big brown flavors is formed, so take your time), 10-15 minutes.
Add the wine, stir to combine and scrape up any remaining brown bits; cook until about half the wine has evaporated, 4-5 minutes.
Add enough water to the pan to cover the meat mixture by about half an inch. Stir to combine well and add the bay leaves and the thyme bundle. Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Continue cooking, checking occasionally, for 3 hours, tasting, seasoning and adding more water as needed. (I tend to add a 1/2 inch of water above the meat mixture every hour and let it cook down).
During the last half hour of the cooking process, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook just under what the timing on the package suggests. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Remove the thyme bundle and bay leaf from the sauce. Then remove half of the ragù from the pan and reserve. Immediately add the cooked pasta to the pan with the ragù or pasta water if needed; continue cooking for another couple of minutes, until the pasta and sauce cling together and the liquid has reduced.
Remove the pot from the heat and add the Parmigiano and a generous drizzle of the big fat finishing oil on top.
