September 3, 2014 10:39 AM
Missing everything about Italy, especially friends and food, I decided to try to replicate one of my favorites dishes. In Italy, pasta con ragu is pasta with meat sauce. The dish varies based on the region and the person in the kitchen, but it is usually a combination of meats stewed in tomatoes for hours.
At AD in Cortona, they call this paccheri with braceria sauce. Annalisa the chef says it is what her grandmother served every Sunday in Napoli when she was growing up, as it was an inexpensive means to serve many people. This is my attempt at her recipe.
I assembled my ingredients:
Browned the meat:
Sautéed the onions, then added tomato paste, herbs, and some figs for a slight sweetness:
United the meat and the onions:
Added the tomatoes, then turned the burner to low and started the slow, slow cooking:
Like Annalisa’s grandmother, I decided to share my Sunday dinner, so I made a few calls, then whipped up some appertivo:
And after about eight hours, we were rewarded with this!
Great food (if I say so myself!), great conversation, great gathering! Felt just like Sunday dinner in Italy…
Oh, and yes, we did have dessert… sautéed peaches with a dab of gelato and a ginger biscuit.
Ciao,
Judy
Posted by blogginginitaly
Categories: Chicago, Food, Italian Food, Italian Hospitality, My Blog about Italy
Tags: Italian Food, Pasta con Ragu, Slow cooked pasta sauce
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Sounds delicious!!! We are less than 3 weeks away from the peaceful Cortona life. Barbara
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By Barbara Kaines on September 3, 2014 at 10:52 AM
Oh lucky you!!!
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By blogginginitaly on September 3, 2014 at 1:17 PM
Dear Judy,
You have had a beautiful idea…we can be so distance but very near with the good food and good friends….
Hugs,
Fernanda e Carlo
Inviato da Tablet Samsung
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By casa.celeste@alice.it on September 3, 2014 at 10:57 AM
And thank you for your cena photos! They made me very happy! xo
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By blogginginitaly on September 3, 2014 at 1:18 PM
Oh my gosh, Juju, this is gorgeous!
Alexis Colianni amcolianni@gmail.com phone: 630.779.0612
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By Alexis Colianni on September 3, 2014 at 7:14 PM
Thanks…especially as it’s not something you would eat! xo
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By blogginginitaly on September 4, 2014 at 10:41 AM