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Ragù napoletano

Naples & Campania · No.37 / 103

Ragù napoletano

Ragù napoletano, 3 ways

A meat sauce made by simmering large cuts of beef and pork (sometimes stuffed braciole) in nothing but passata and water for 3-8 hours over the lowest heat. Where Bolognese browns ground meat and finishes quickly, this sauce is built by keeping whole cuts just below a boil, letting them 'pippiare' (barely blip), and traditions split between serving the sauce alone over pasta as the first course with the meat plated separately as the second, versus reducing the sauce with the meat still in it and serving both together.

GialloZafferano J. Kenji López-Alt Italia Squisita
300 min · Difficulty ●●●●○ · 1videos

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Source is a recipe page (no video)
GialloZafferanoItaly's largest recipe media outlet (founded 2006, now under Mondadori) Partly unverified

Four meats: braciole, bianco costato, sausage, and pork ribs

  • Builds the ragu around four or five different cuts of meat, including a stuffed braciole roll and a rolled pork rind, browned in stages in the same pot
  • Explicitly names the stages 'tirare' (draw out) -> 'rosolare' (brown the tomato until it darkens) -> 'pippiare' (the gentle bubbling), quoting the word 'pippiare' from playwright Eduardo De Filippo
  • Traces the name to the French word ragout (a long-cooked meat dish served with an accompanying sauce), with no mention of the 14th-century noble legend
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In the chef’s words
  • Il ragu napoletano consta di 3 fasi, anche 4 se volete, cosi distribuite: la prima fase consiste nel tirare, cioe lasciando consumare la cipolla (e il lardo, se preferite aggiungerlo) insieme al vino. La seconda invece bisogna far rosolare il pomodoro e la terza riguarda il pippiare del sugo, come descrisse Eduardo De Filippo. source
  • Il ragu alla napoletana prende il nome dal termine francese ragout, che sta ad indicare una preparazione a base di carne e servita con un sugo d'accompagnamento, che generalmente ha tempi molto lunghi di cottura. source

References: [1]

Source is a recipe page (no video)
J. Kenji López-AltFormer Managing Culinary Director at Serious Eats and now its Chief Culinary Advisor, New York Times columnist (two-time James Beard Award winner) Partly unverified

Pork spareribs, beef chuck, and pork shoulder braised at 300°F for 3 hours, meat pulled out before serving

  • Explicitly notes that, unlike Italian-American Sunday gravy where the meat stays in the sauce and is served over the pasta, in Italy it's more common to remove the meat and serve it on its own plate or as a following course
  • Acknowledges involtini (braciole) as commonly seen in the authentic dish, but deliberately omits it, citing the labor involved and the difficulty of sourcing it
  • A two-stage finish: after the meat is removed, the sauce alone is simmered a further hour to deepen its color and body
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In the chef’s words
  • While you can serve this ragu like an Italian-American Sunday gravy, in which the meat is left in the sauce and served on the pasta, it's more common in Italy to remove the meat from the sauce and serve it alongside the pasta or as a subsequent course. source
  • In Italy, it's common to find other meaty additions to this ragu, including various involtini (meat rolled around various stuffings like herbs and/or cheese), but that's a bit more work and hard to find premade in the States. source

References: [1]

Italia SquisitaItalian food media channel featuring Michelin-starred and well-known chefs Partly unverified

Nine cuts of veal and pork plus three stuffings, a professional recipe serving 12

  • A professional-scale, 12-serving recipe using nine different cuts of veal and pork and building three separate stuffings for the braciole, rolled pork rind, and breast tip
  • Uses two distinct tomato products: pizzutello-variety passata (5kg) and dattero-variety concentrated tomato (200g)
  • Linked in the video to Sorrentino's own 'Neapolitan lasagna' as a companion piece that shares much of the same prep
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In the chef’s words
  • 'o Rrau anche detto ragu alla napoletana e un'antica ricetta campana, di lunga preparazione e ricchissima di ingredienti. Antonio Sorrentino presenta la sua versione di questo piatto ideale per le domeniche in famiglia. source
  • Ingredienti per 12 persone. Le carni: 250 g Muscolo o piccione di vitello; 250 g Muscolo o gallinella di maiale; 250 g Locena o coppa di maiale; 500 g Salsiccia di maiale a punta di coltello; 500 g Tracchie o puntine di maiale; 250 g Coperta di Costata di vitello o copertina di vitellone; 300 g Punta di petto di vitello; 200 g Cotica o cotenna di maiale; 200 g Fettina di spalla di vitellone. source

References: [1] [2]

Compared on 10 axes

Figures are transcribed as written in each video or recipe page

AXIS GialloZafferano J. Kenji López-Alt Italia Squisita
Pasta paired with it Paccheri, ziti, tagliatelle, etc. (no quantity given)Fresh or dried pasta, cooked shorter than the package direction; about 237ml of cooking water reservedNot specified (the piece focuses on preparing the meat and sauce)
Meat composition (cuts and types) Pork ribs 400g + beef bianco costato 500g + Neapolitan sausage 500g + pork rind (cotenna) 150gPork spareribs 900g + boneless beef chuck 900g + boneless pork shoulder 900g + mild Italian sausage 454gVeal muscle/piccione 250g, pork muscle/gallinella 250g, pork locena/coppa 250g, pork sausage 500g, pork tracchie 500g, veal costata shoulder 250g, veal breast tip 300g, pork rind (cotenna) 200g, veal shoulder 200g (serves 12)
Braciole (stuffed meat rolls) 4 slices (400g) of scamone beef rolled with 30g Pecorino, 20g raisins, 10g pine nuts, 1 clove garlic, parsleyNone (the author says he skips it because it's labor-intensive and pre-made stuffed meat rolls are hard to find in the US)The beef shoulder braciole is rolled with 50g pancetta, garlic, 30g Pecorino, raisins and pine nuts, basil/parsley. The rolled cotenna uses the same stuffing without pancetta; the breast tip gets a separate stuffing of bread, egg, and Parmigiano
Fat / oil for browning Extra virgin olive oil, 60gExtra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons + remainder stirred in at the endExtra virgin olive oil 200g + sugna (pork fat) 100g
Tomato Passata di pomodoro 2L + 2L rinse water6oz (170g) can of tomato paste caramelized first, then 2 cans of whole tomatoes (ideally DOP San Marzano)Passata di pomodoro (pizzutello variety) 5kg + concentrated tomato (datterino variety) 200g
Wine Red wine, 70g (white can be substituted, but the Q&A states red gives more depth)Dry red wine, 473mlAglianico red wine (quantity QB)
Simmering time and heat 4 hours on the lowest possible heat, stirring occasionallyAbout 3 hours in a 300°F (150°C) oven, lid ajar; sausage added for a further 30 minutes; meat then pulled and the sauce reduced alone for another hourNot specified
How it's served (first course and second course) Sauce is tossed with paccheri etc.; the meat (braciole and so on) is set aside and served as the main courseMeat is pulled out and the sauce reduced further on its own; pasta is tossed with half the sauce. Meat is plated alongside or served as a following courseNot specified
Finish Seasoned with salt only; resting overnight is recommendedRemaining olive oil, salt and pepper, Parmigiano, basilSalt and pepper QB (no further detail given)
Time required 20 minutes prep + 4 hours 20 minutes simmering45 minutes active + 20 minutes cooling + about 6 hours 5 minutes totalNot specified
Source check Partly unverifiedPartly unverifiedPartly unverified
GialloZafferano Four meats: braciole, bianco costato, sausage, and pork ribs
Pasta paired with it
Paccheri, ziti, tagliatelle, etc. (no quantity given)
Meat composition (cuts and types)
Pork ribs 400g + beef bianco costato 500g + Neapolitan sausage 500g + pork rind (cotenna) 150g
Braciole (stuffed meat rolls)
4 slices (400g) of scamone beef rolled with 30g Pecorino, 20g raisins, 10g pine nuts, 1 clove garlic, parsley
Fat / oil for browning
Extra virgin olive oil, 60g
Tomato
Passata di pomodoro 2L + 2L rinse water
Wine
Red wine, 70g (white can be substituted, but the Q&A states red gives more depth)
Simmering time and heat
4 hours on the lowest possible heat, stirring occasionally
How it's served (first course and second course)
Sauce is tossed with paccheri etc.; the meat (braciole and so on) is set aside and served as the main course
Finish
Seasoned with salt only; resting overnight is recommended
Time required
20 minutes prep + 4 hours 20 minutes simmering
Source
Partly unverified
J. Kenji López-Alt Pork spareribs, beef chuck, and pork shoulder braised at 300°F for 3 hours, meat pulled out before serving
Pasta paired with it
Fresh or dried pasta, cooked shorter than the package direction; about 237ml of cooking water reserved
Meat composition (cuts and types)
Pork spareribs 900g + boneless beef chuck 900g + boneless pork shoulder 900g + mild Italian sausage 454g
Braciole (stuffed meat rolls)
None (the author says he skips it because it's labor-intensive and pre-made stuffed meat rolls are hard to find in the US)
Fat / oil for browning
Extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons + remainder stirred in at the end
Tomato
6oz (170g) can of tomato paste caramelized first, then 2 cans of whole tomatoes (ideally DOP San Marzano)
Wine
Dry red wine, 473ml
Simmering time and heat
About 3 hours in a 300°F (150°C) oven, lid ajar; sausage added for a further 30 minutes; meat then pulled and the sauce reduced alone for another hour
How it's served (first course and second course)
Meat is pulled out and the sauce reduced further on its own; pasta is tossed with half the sauce. Meat is plated alongside or served as a following course
Finish
Remaining olive oil, salt and pepper, Parmigiano, basil
Time required
45 minutes active + 20 minutes cooling + about 6 hours 5 minutes total
Source
Partly unverified
Italia Squisita Nine cuts of veal and pork plus three stuffings, a professional recipe serving 12
Pasta paired with it
Not specified (the piece focuses on preparing the meat and sauce)
Meat composition (cuts and types)
Veal muscle/piccione 250g, pork muscle/gallinella 250g, pork locena/coppa 250g, pork sausage 500g, pork tracchie 500g, veal costata shoulder 250g, veal breast tip 300g, pork rind (cotenna) 200g, veal shoulder 200g (serves 12)
Braciole (stuffed meat rolls)
The beef shoulder braciole is rolled with 50g pancetta, garlic, 30g Pecorino, raisins and pine nuts, basil/parsley. The rolled cotenna uses the same stuffing without pancetta; the breast tip gets a separate stuffing of bread, egg, and Parmigiano
Fat / oil for browning
Extra virgin olive oil 200g + sugna (pork fat) 100g
Tomato
Passata di pomodoro (pizzutello variety) 5kg + concentrated tomato (datterino variety) 200g
Wine
Aglianico red wine (quantity QB)
Simmering time and heat
Not specified
How it's served (first course and second course)
Not specified
Finish
Salt and pepper QB (no further detail given)
Time required
Not specified
Source
Partly unverified

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1 Pasta & boiling Brand, thickness, salt, water volume, cooking time
2 Base Fat and the main ingredient: rendering, infusing
3 Sauce & emulsion Where you toss, heat level, how much pasta water
4 Finish Cheese, pepper, finishing oil, plating

The map of schools: where the heat is managed

For Ragù napoletano, the fork in the road is how you emulsify and heat

Toss over direct heat

The pan stays on the flame and your hands manage the temperature. Fast, but it takes feel.

  • No styles here

Indirect heat

Bain-marie, steam, double boiler or a hand blender. Repeatable, at the cost of one extra step.

  • No styles here

Off the heat

Emulsify after killing the flame, or in a bowl with only the pasta’s residual heat. Hard to get wrong.

Total timeActual values from 2 styles. Equal values stack vertically
17 min24.8 min32.5 min40.3 min48 minGialloZafferano: 20 minutes prep + 4 hours 20 minutes simmeringGJ. Kenji López-Alt: 45 minutes active + 20 minutes cooling + about 6 hours 5 minutes totalJK

What to serve after this

In an Italian meal the primo (pasta) is followed by a secondo (main course)

Naples & Campania 75 min

Polpette al sugo

Polpette al sugo

A Neapolitan home-style dish of meatballs made from mixed ground beef and pork, hiding pine nuts and raisins inside, dusted with flour, fried, and then simmered in tomato sauce. Tucking pine nuts and raisins into the center is the distinctive Neapolitan touch, and the sauce the meat is simmered in is also used to dress pasta.

Pairs with: Ragù napoletano / La Genovese napoletana / Spaghetti alla puttanesca

The sauce the polpette are simmered in is used as-is to dress pasta. Placing this same Neapolitan tomato-and-meat sauce as the primo, with the meat itself served later as the secondo, follows the local pattern.

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