Ragu Bolognese

[Bentley Green]

Thanks.

Instead of milk, for a little bit of extra richness, creaminess, more whiteness and body, I use half & half.

Actually, I just take the normal spaghetti meat sauce, and at the end, I just add the half & half. I'm going to make some again soon.

[Clove]

BG,

You can add milk, half and half or cream.
As I said in the recipe, there are many variations, even in Emilia-Romagna, where the recipe originates.
The keys are not the butter fat in the milk product, but the choices of meat, amount of the liquid to solids ratio and the slow cooking.
I've had very delicious versions in Italy where they substituted chicken liver for one of the meats or added it as a fourth meat.

Play around with it and enjoy your favorite variations.

[Bentley Green]

Yeah, in the past, I've always used straight-up ground beef, but next time, I'll used all three - pork, beef and veal.

Also, for a low-cal touch can ground chicken or turkey be used as an alternative to red meat? I drink 1% milk, but I don't think that would work.

[Clove]

Originally Posted by Bentley Green

Yeah, in the past, I've always used straight-up ground beef, but next time, I'll used all three - pork, beef and veal...

...and if you can add some ground pancetta, you'll be on your way to a multi-flavor note ragu...

[Bentley Green]

I may do that.

[Clove]

Originally Posted by Bentley Green

...I drink 1% milk, but I don't think that would work.

The milk is added for its' lactic-ness not just its' fat.
I've never used 1% (we drink skim) but when I make this sauce, I buy whole milk - just to be authentic - but I would add 1% rather than to leave milk out entirely.
As much as pancetta, the milk addition is a key flavor note.

[Bentley Green]

1% milk doesn't seem to hold up very well in sauces.

I once made some shrimp scampi with a light sauce to it. When I added the 1% milk to the roux, it began to separate! it eventually blended in, but the sauce didn't look white at all - it was almost clear.

Lesson learned; I always make sure that I at least have some whole milk or half & half before I make any white sauce.

[Pluff Mudder]

Anything other than whole milk is just white water.

[Bentley Green]

Yes! Anything less than that in my book.

Low-fat milk is just not suitable for milk-based sauces. I might try it with 2%, but I'm wondering it it will work.

In cooking, with certain sauces, you MUST have the fat in order for the consitency to be right. But in the case of spaghetti carbonara, you need heavy cream to bring out the body in the sauce.