Pasta with meat ragù is one of the best known Italian dishes around the world. Each region in Italy has its own version. The most famous is Tagliatelle alla Bolognese. It is so famous in fact, that outside of Italy, all types of ragù with meat and tomatoes are often referred to as “Bolognese”. In the city of Florence in Tuscany, the ragù is not served with tagliatelle or spaghetti, but with rigatoni. And they have made the name of the dish more poetic by saying that the pasta is “dragged” (strascicati) with the ragù. You can tell this ragù is different from Bolognese because it contains rosemary, parsley, garlic, red chilli pepper flakes, end lemon zest (all ingredients that you won’t find in authentic Bolognese), and it does not contain milk. It also contains chicken livers, which are not included in the “official” recipe for Bolognese, but there are versions of Bolognese that do include them. This is really a meat ragù with only a small amount of tomato. I’ve followed Biba Caggiano’s recipe.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 450 grams (1 lb) ground beef chuck
• 3 to 4 chicken livers, finely minced
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 celery stalk, minced
• 1 medium carrot, minced
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh flat leaf parsley
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 250 ml (1 cup) Chianti Classico or other red wine
• 4 ripe plum tomatoes, skinned, seeded, and pureed
• 1/8 tsp fresly grated nutmeg
• pinch of red chilli pepper flakes
• grated zest of 1/2 lemon
• salt
• extra virgin olive oil
• 600 ml (2 1/2 cups) homemade chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 450-600 grams (1 – 1.3 lbs) rigatoni pasta
• fresly grated parmigiano reggiano

Instructions

Heat 4 Tbsp olive oil in a casserole or Dutch oven. Add minced carrot, celery, and onion.

Stir over medium-high heat until the vegetables start to get come color.

Add minced garlic, parsley, and rosemary.

Stir for another minute.

Add the ground beef and minced chicken livers. (I had forgotten to mince the chicken livers, which is not a good idea as you don’t want larger pieces of liver in the finished ragù.)

Cook the beef and livers over high heat, stirring and breaking up the meat with two wooden spatulas, until the meat starts to sizzle.

Deglaze with 240 ml red wine. Scrape over the bottom of the casserole with a wooden spatula to release any flavor that got stuck.

Stir over medium-high heat until at least half of the wine has evaporated. Add the skinned, seeded, and pureed tomatoes.

Stir to mix in the tomatoes, then add the grated zest of half of a lemon.

Add 1/8 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg and a pinch of red chilli pepper flakes as well.

Add 600 ml of chicken stock.

Season with salt, unless you used store-bought chicken stock that contains salt.

Stir to mix and bring to a boil.

Partially cover the casserole and reduce the heat to a slow simmer.

Allow to simmer for about 2 hours, stirring regularly. The ragù should thicken.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and red chilli pepper flakes.

The ragù can be prepared ahead.

To finish the dish, boil the pasta in salted water according to package instructions.

When the pasta is al dente, drain it, and add to the ragù.

Toss the pasta with the ragù.

Add a tablespoon of butter in small pieces…

…and a handful of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano.

Stir the pasta until the cheese and butter have melted.

Serve at once on preheated plates, sprinkled with some more freshly grated parmigiano reggiano.

Wine pairing

It goes without saying this should be paired with a Chianti Classico. I would recommend a medium-bodied one, as a full-bodied Chianti would be more suitable for a Bistecca alla Fiorentina.