How to Make Ragu for Timpano

Ragu

Time: Approximately 4 1/2 hours

Timpano Recipe: Ingredients for Ragu
Timpano Recipe: Ingredients for Ragu
Ingredients for Ragu

2 medium yellow onions, peeled and quartered
6 tbs. flat-leaf Italian parsley
2 stalks celery, washed and roughly chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
8 cloves garlic, peeled
4 oz. pancetta
4 tbs. olive oil
1 to 1-1/2 pound “country-style” pork spare ribs (for flavor)
2 bottles white wine (For a slightly richer flavor, combine a bottle of white wine and a bottle of red wine .)
8 oz. tomato paste
56 oz. crushed Italian plum tomatoes (canned)
8 sweet Italian sausages
Tip: If you want extra sauce for assembly or to serve alongside the Timpano later, consider adding an extra can (28 ounces) of tomatoes and more wine (1 cup).

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Steps to make Ragu
  1. Put the loosely chopped onion, celery, carrot, garlic, pancetta and parsley in a food processor and pulse about 10 times for one second each pulse (or chop finely).
  2. Heat a large pot over medium heat (We use a 15-quart Dutch oven).
  3. Heat the olive oil in the pot.
  4. Add the chopped vegetable/pancetta mixture (also known as battuto) to the pot.
  5. Lower the heat and sauté the battuto for 10-15 minutes or until soften and browned very lightly
  6. Add the pork ribs, cover the pot and cook over low heat for one hour.
  7. At the end of the hour, uncover the pot, raise the heat to high and add the wine.
  8. Allow the wine to boil for a minute or two to burn off the alcohol.
  9. Lower the heat and allow the mixture to simmer uncovered gently for about an hour.
  10. Remove the ribs. (The ribs have great flavor so don’t discard them. Eat and enjoy!)
  11. Whisk in the tomato paste.
  12. Add the plum tomatoes and stir, breaking up the tomatoes, to combine with the wine reduction and tomato paste.
  13. Add the Italian sausages.
  14. Cover the pot and cook over low heat for 90 minutes.
  15. At the end of the 90 minutes, remove the Italian sausages and reserve for the Timpano.
  16. Cover the pot and reserve the Ragu for the Timpano.