Ragu on a Sunday for two

I am fast discovering that most recipes don’t cater for two people and such was the case this weekend on trying another of Armando’s gems, his version of ragù. Traditionally, for us Australians, this kind of dish would generally be called ‘bolognese sauce’ and would be made with mince meat, but there are actually many versions of ragù.

This particular version is more like a rustic, country-style version where you actually use chunks of pork and veal. The extra sauce can be used to do a first course of pasta with a touch of ricotta (we used Philadelphia cheese because I had forgotten to get ricotta when out shopping), which makes for a very tasty pasta sauce.

In the meantime, the ragù itself takes three hours of open pot, stove cooking but we ran out of gas so I can’t tell you whether completing the third hour in the oven changes anything about the recipe. It’s also not easy to keep the heat down on this, so if you have an electric stove, use it.

Otherwise, we finished with a very tender and fulfilling ragù that’s going on the list of our Sunday house specials. The slight touch of bay leaves and cloves gives just enough spice without being overpowering and the trick is not to under-do the tomato paste – it’s what gives the sauce its thickness. Any ideas for a food-wine match?