My Recipe of the traditional Neapolitan Ragù in ceramica di Vietri

...My traditional Neapolitan Ragù:
Ragù in Naples is The Sunday Recipe, eulogised by artist as Eduardo De Filippo, that in his opera he start from Saturday to prepare Ragù that need of lot Love and Neapolitan philosophy... that is the "quiet"! 
The preparation of Ragù need of slow and love gestures, fixed steps that can't be avoided, but particulary the Ragù need of a more slow cooking, it must "pappuliare" (simmer) in a lovely happy clime (because we will be very happy when you'll eat the ragù with your family). 

Ragù must be made on Saturday for Sunday because "pappuliando" (simmer) it must overcook for almost 6/8 hours. 

For this reason make the Ragù in a very large pot, with aboundant tomatoes puree, because when it overcook the tomatoes must became a sauce dense and full-bodied. 

 

I recommend: the only way to taste the Ragù when it is ready and to appreciate the final result is to drench the "bread cozzetto" (the tip of the loaf of bread) in the ruby red of your Ragù. 

 

 

We start from the pot where the Ragù will cook: Tradition want the it is in earthenware (ceramic of red clay), but the modernity that are related with us from tradition, he let us use more "technologic" pots as the pot with internal stone. Anyway, you must use a large pot, with a thick bottom and that garantee an uniform distribution of the heat. 

 

The meat is the principle element for the success of the Ragù and it is for this reason that I suggest you to not buy the meat in supermarket but, to take time to go from a good butcher, the real artisan and expert of high quality meat. 

 

For the tomato: you must use rigorously San Marzano Dop Tomatoes for the 2/3 of the sauce and 1/3 of the sauce it must made with peeled tomatoes (this is one of the secrets of the real Neapolitan Ragù). The peeled tomatoes, before to be added in the pot, it must be clumsily cut.

 

Add coalt salt, preferibly Sea salt integral, picked up in the saltern in traditional way. 

 

The last advice for eat the ragù: always like the tradition, Ragù must be served as first dish on pasta (broken "ziti") of Gragnano DOP, cooked in aboundant salted water and served with Parmigiano Reggiano DOP or Grana Padano DOP. The meat will be served like second dish. 

 

(P.S. don't forget to buy a good homemade bread baked in a wood... you need a lots!!!)

 

2 Red onions of Tropea or white onions

60 gr of Extra Virgin Oil

2 lt of tomatoes sauce San Marzano DOP

1 box of peeled tomatoes San Marzano DOP

140 gr of tomato concentrate

2 pork sausice with coarse grained (in Naples we tell "a punta di coltello")

400 gr of meat (rib of beef) in Naples is "Corazza", slice in cubes of 4 or 5 cm for side

2 pork needle (in Naples are Tracchiulella)

Some nerve

If you like, you can add 1 pigskin (in Naples is Cotena)

6 leaf of basil

Coars salt q.b.

1/2 cup of Red Wine

 

2 large slice of pork loin or veal nut 

a touch of chopped parsley 

1 garlic in very little cubes or in powder

30 gr of Parmigiano Reggiano Dop or Grana Padano Dop

20 gr of Pecorino DOP

Raisins

Pine nuts

Pepper (if you prefer)

Salt 

Some toothstick

 

We start from the Pork Chops: extend the slices of pork or of veal on a chopping board and beat them with a steak hammer. Add salt and pepper, a touch of pine nuts and raisins, a little of chopped parsley, a little of very little cubes of garlic (or in powder), Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (or Grana Padano DOP), Pecorino (DOP) and close the slices of pork or veal, rolling them and silling them with toothstick. 

 

Now we prepare the Ragù: in a large pot, you let cook the chopped onion together with the oil. After some minutes, add the meat, the sausices and the pork chops. Let them brown on all the side, turning them on theirselfes. 

Be carefull: you must turn often the meat (this is a very delicate phase) and you must be careful to not burn the onion but that it dwindle. 

 

When the meat will be brown and the onion will be transparent, smoke with red wine and you continue the cooking until to the wine will be evaporated.

 

Add, now, the tomato concentrate, turning often and continuing to cook all. 

 

After 5 minutes, add the sauce of tomatoes and the peeled tomatoes (precedently sliced in cubes).

 

Add coars salt. 

 

Now, you decrease the flame at the minimum, making cook all the sauce very slowly, observing that the Ragù will be simmer (pappuliare), covering the pot with the top, but leaving the wooden spoon between the pot and the top, to permit the evaporation of the water present in the tomatoes and the ramming of itself.

 

Continue the cooking for 6/8 hours, turning with the wooden spoon, till to obtain a thick sauce, with a color as dark red and with the meat that it breaks only with the pressure of the spoon (as the "famous" tuna that brokes with a breadstick).

 

Take a "cozzetto" of homemade bread and taste if the Ragù is perfect of salt... and you must prepare yourself to the explosion of taste and at the iper salivation caused by this delight of the palate!!