Tucci Family Ragu: A Recipe Passed Down Through Generations

My grandmother, Theresa Tucci, was a wonderful cook. She passed down the cooking gene to all of the children and grandchildren. My mother, Rosalinda Tucci-Rachiele is an amazing cook, and cooks to this day as she recently turned 95.  I love to cook, so does my sister, Lisa. My first cousins; Pierre, Maria Pia, Jeffery, Eric, Donna, Gina, Christine and Stanley all love to cook. This recipe for Ragu is what we all grew up having just about every weekend. The memories are wonderful and we all cherish the gifts of cooking that have been passed down through many generations. We all grew up in a rich environment, not wealthy rich, but rich in culture, tradition and love. We were so lucky to have such an amazing extended family. The below recipe has been passed down from my grandmother, Theresa Tucci. 

Push the panic button! Yikes, we opened the freezer just after our Christmas trip and there was no Ragu. So, Lisa and I made a huge batch, on New Years day, and we now have about 12 meals worth in the freezer. 

Both of us prefer the taste of pork in the recipe, so we do an 80/20 mix of pork to beef. I also add about a teaspoon of fennel seeds. The fennel seeds add a touch of extra sweetness and a taste we all like. By the way, there is never sugar in our ragu. In my opinion, sugar is a substitute for poor quality tomatoes. If you use true Italian whole canned tomatoes from San Marzano, Italy, they are sweet enough!

So, the plan for next weekend is to make meatballs, thaw a batch of ragu, drop some meatballs in the ragu, simmer for 30 minutes or so, then have a feast!