🍽️ OUR RECIPES & CULINARY HISTORICAL CONTENT ARE FREE
We’re proud to share our collection of recipes and historical stories at no cost.
If you enjoy what we do and would like to help us continue this work,
a small $7.00 donation is greatly appreciated.
🙏 Thank you for supporting the documentation and preservation of culinary history.
Italian pasta sauces vary widely by region, especially between northern and southern Italy. Northern Italian sauces are generally more subtle and restrained, often built on butter or olive oil with onion, garlic, and limited tomato, emphasizing balance and richness over acidity or heat. Southern Italian sauces tend to be bolder and more tomato-forward, featuring olive oil, garlic, oregano, and sometimes red pepper flakes, reflecting the region’s warmer climate and robust flavors.
A standout northern example is Emilia-Romagna’s ragù alla Bolognese. This slow-cooked sauce combines beef and pork with a soffritto of onion, celery, and carrot, tomato paste, and a small amount of milk or cream, often enriched with chicken stock. Cooked gently over low heat, the onions and garlic nearly dissolve into the butter and olive oil, creating the deep, velvety sauce that defines the region’s cuisine.
This recipe is prepared over low heat to the point where the onions and garlic nearly dissolve in the butter and olive oil.
EQUIPMENT: 5-quart stockpot, 1-quart saucepan
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound tomatoes oven roasted at 400ᵒF for about 1 hour, or canned tomatoes
- 1 large onion minced.
- 7 cloves garlic mince fine.
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped.
- 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley chopped.
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped.
- 1 cup Italian Pinot Grigio
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup fresh cream or half-n-half.
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 400ᵒF. Remove the stems of the tomato, cut an X on the top, and roast for about 1 hour. Set aside to cool, skin, and remove the seeds. Or you can use a pound of canned or peeled tomatoes.
In the 5-quart stockpot sauté onion and garlic in butter and olive oil over low heat at 200ᵒF until the onions and garlic begin to dissolve into the butter and olive oil for about 30 minutes. Add the fresh basil, parsley, and rosemary, and continue to simmer for 15 minutes.
Increase the heat to Medium 375ᵒF and add the wine. Simmer for about 5 to 7 minutes until the alcohol burns off then reduce the heat to low 200ᵒF.
While the sauce is simmering, in the 1-quart saucepan over medium-low meat 225ᵒF melt the butter and add the flour. Whisking occasionally cook the flour and butter until it is cooked and begins to smell like cookies, about 15 minutes. Add the chicken stock and whisk until the sauce thickens. Add the thickened chicken stock to the sauce and whisk to combine. Add the cream and continue to stir until the sauce thickens.
This sauce is perfect for all kinds of pasta. Top with grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.
NOTE: to homogenize your sauce without aerating it, consider pulsing it in a blender or food processor. This method will help you achieve a smooth and consistent texture without introducing any unwanted air. Additionally, to enhance the flavor of your sauce, try letting it sit overnight in the refrigerator in a sealed vacuum container. This will allow the flavors to meld together, resulting in a more delicious and cohesive final product.