Bigoli con Ragù di Musso
Bigoli con ragù di musso is a traditional Venetian pasta dish featuring thick, rough extruded pasta tossed in a slow-braised donkey meat sauce.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 105 min
- Total
- 125 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 610 kcal
Equipment
- •heavy-based casserole
- •large pasta pot
- •wooden spoon
- •tongs
- •colander
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 610 kcal
- fat
- 16 g
- carbs
- 74 g
- fibre
- 6 g
- protein
- 38 g
- calories
- 610 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based casserole over medium heat.
- 2
Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery and garlic with a pinch of salt.
- 3
Cook gently for 8 minutes until the vegetables soften and turn sweet.
- 4
Add the minced donkey meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until browned.
- 5
Pour in the red wine and scrape any browned crust from the bottom.
- 6
Simmer for 3 minutes until the sharp alcohol scent evaporates completely.
- 7
Stir in the tomato paste, tomato passata, stock, bay leaf and rosemary sprig.
- 8
Cover partially, reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 90 minutes.
- 9
Season the rich ragù with salt and pepper, then discard the bay and rosemary.
- 10
Boil the bigoli in salted water until just al dente, then drain carefully.
- 11
Transfer the drained bigoli directly into the casserole with the hot ragù.
- 12
Toss the pasta over low heat for 1 minute until well coated.
Chef's tips
Donkey meat is exceptionally lean, so simmer it slowly over low heat to keep it tender. Bigoli have a signature rough, porous texture that grips the sauce without needing heavy thickeners.
Ingredient substitutions
- minced donkey meat → minced horse meat, or coarse beef chuck mince for a widely available alternative
- bigoli → thick wholewheat spaghetti, pici, or bucatini
- dry red wine → Veneto Raboso, Merlot, or any dry full-bodied red wine
Storage
Store leftover ragù in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a saucepan over low heat with a splash of water until piping hot throughout.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Boiling the sauce violently, which tightens the lean donkey meat and turns it tough.
- •Using thin, smooth industrial pasta that fails to hold the rustic, chunky meat sauce.
- •Skipping the wine reduction, which leaves an overly acidic note in the finished ragù.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Bigoli con Ragù di Musso?
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