By far the most delicious and amazing Ragu I’ve had, Evan’s Ragu Bolognese from HBO’s Selena + Chef absolutely knocked our socks off. Today we were invited to the opening of Funke’s new Beverly Hills location but unfortunately couldn’t make the date. That said it reminded us that we can recreate some of the magic Funke brings to the table at home.

We had some of our friends help out, like chef Olivier Rassinoux at the helm, and Allen Brother’s Prime Meats supplying the protein. It didn’t hurt that we had fresh pasta from Osteria della Buca, bread from Tartine, beautiful cast iron from Butter Pat industries, and a lovely selection of drinks from The Bruery and Hanson’s of Sonoma to wash it all down. Not saying it would be better than having the real thing down at Funke, but definitely worth trying yourself at home.

Recipe:
• 2 ½ Pounds Beef Chuck
• 2 ½ Pounds of Beef Bone Marrow (About 5 Bones Cut Into 2-Inch Pieces)
• 1 Large Yellow Onion, Peeled And Diced Large
• 3 Stalks of Celery, Diced Large
• 1 Large Carrot, Peeled And Diced Large
• 3 Ounces Rendered Pork Fat
• 2½ Ounces Pancetta
• 4 Ounces Prosciutto Di Parma
• Kosher Salt, To Taste
• 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1½ Cups Of Sangiovese (Or Another Dry, Fruity Red Wine)
• 2 Cups Tomato Passata (or “strained tomatoes”)
• 2 Cups Chicken Stock

Set up a meat grinder attachment for a Kitchen Aid
Mixer, if you don’t have one you can ask your local
butcher to grind your meats for you. Begin ragu by
grinding chuck into a bowl, set aside.
Grind remaining meats: pancetta and prosciutto into
another bowl, set aside. Grind all the vegetables in the
meat grinder into a bowl. Alternatively, if you don’t
have a grinder, pass them through a food processor,
pulsing until fine.
Heat a la Heat a large, heavy-bottom sauce pot (about 5-quart
Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Melt pork fat,
adding prosciutto and pancetta, cooking until
rendered, about 4 minutes. Add ground veggies and
stir. Cook the vegetables, stirring frequently until a
sweet aroma forms, around 15 minutes.
Add the ground beef, season generously with sea salt
and black pepper. Mix the meat with the vegetables
with a wooden spoon. Cook for 4-6 minutes stirring
occasionally, once you see the juices start to run, add
red wine and stir to incorporate.
Once you see a whisper of steam, add the tomato
passata and stir to incorporate. Reduce heat to low
and gently. Add the stock and reduce heat to low.
Gently simmer sauce, a gentle bubble every minute.
Taste. At this point it should taste slightly under
seasoned. As it reduces the flavors will intensify. Cook
for 3-5 hours stirring occasionally every 15 minutes or
so, until the beef and pork are tender and flavors are
concentrated.
Taste sauce again, re-season and remove from heat.
Sauce will keep in fridge for up to 7 days and in a
freezer for up to 6 months in an airtight container.