Ragu

Ingredients Butter.....60 g Onion.....1 finely chopped Celery stalk.....1 finely chopped Pancetta / bacon.....90 g finely chopped Ground beef.....225 g Ground pork.....225 g Dried oregano.....1/4 tsp (or 2 sprigs of chopped fresh) Dry white wine.....1/2 cup Milk.....3/4 cup Tin Chopped Tomatoes.....400 g Beef Stock.....1 cup

HEAT the butter in a saucepan and add the onion, celery, carrot and pancetta. Cook over moderate heat for 6-8 minutes, stirring from time to time. ADD the minced beef, pork and oregano to the saucepan. Season with salt and pepper and the nutmeg.  Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the mince has changed color but not browned. POUR in the wine, increase the heat and boil oever high heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the wine has been absorbed. Stir in 1/2 cup of the milk, recuce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. ADD the tomatoes and half the stock, partially cover the pan and leave to simmer gently over very low heat for 3 hours. Add more of the stock as it is needed to keep the sauce moist. Stir the remaining milk into the sauce 5 minutes before serving. Serving Variation: Simply with Pasta by tossing the pasta with the sauce and sprinkling grated parmesan on top. Baked over Pasta (as pictures): put cooked pasta into a baking dish (or individual baking dishes to serve directly). Spoon enough sauce on top to cover the pasta.  Sprinkle a thin layer of your favorite shedded cheese (I like a mix of Cheddar, Mozzarella, Parmesan). Preheat oven in 380oF. Bake for 8 minutes.  Optional: breifly broil over the top to lightly brown the melted cheese.  Sprinkle parsley on top and serve hot. Baked over Rice: same as above, but replace cooked pasta with cooked white rice. Curry Base: Put a cube of Japanese Curry Paste into a saucepan of heated ragu sauce, turn to low heat to let the paste melt slowly.  Add enough water to reach the desired consistency.  Serve with rice and top a sunny side up egg! Delicious!