Serves six

one celeries stock

one cup olive oil

8 plum tomatoes

one carrot

one onion

two cloves of garlic

¾ lb ground beef.

 

Spices at your choice: I used salt a teaspoon black pepper some chili pepper  and a hint of ground cloves one bay leave.

 

Cut the carrot the onion and the celery in small pieces. Fry them together at medium temperature in the oil. Italians call that soffritto. Once the onion is sautéed add the beef and cook until the beef turns brown.

Peel the tomatoes cut them in pieces add and mix everything until warm. To peel the tomatoes I pass them in boiling water before. The sauce has to cook for long hours and for this I used the crock pot. This sauce is delicious on all Italian pastas but it is very important for preparing the lasagna.

Every  Italian has its own way to do the ragu, and everyone claims his own is the best. I described the procedure and what can vary a lot is the kind of meat. To make it simple I just used one meat kind, but for example in Bologna they like it with meat and pork sausage. Having  the typical Italian cooking the roots in the poverty of the country ragu could be prepared with cheap meats. I have heard of ragu prepared with 5 different kind of meats. Follow the procedure and experience!