Also called ‘ragù’ or ‘sugo alla Bolognese’, it is said that there are as many recipe versions of this delicious slow-cooked sauce as there are cooks in the Italian city of Bologna. The Bolognese claim that a true ragù cannot be made anywhere else. Perhaps this is so but, if you follow a few rules, the following recipe is very good without taking four hours to cook, as is suggested by some recipes.
Use a deep, heavy-based saucepan and keep the heat as low as possible while the sauce is simmering. Use lean beef, preferably finely chopped chuck steak, rather than mince. Cream is added to soften the sauce, but some cooks prefer adding a little butter.