Brendan O'Connor How to make the best ragu with chef, Eileen Dunne Crescenzi
Jan 17, 2026
Eileen Dunne Crescenzi, chef and owner of Dunne and Crescenzi, shares her mastery of ragu, including bolognese and ragu bianco, emphasizing diversity and regional variations across Italy. She highlights the importance of slow-cooking and sofrito in building deep flavors. Eileen offers a step-by-step guide to the perfect bolognese and suggests tagliatelle as the ideal pasta pairing. She also reveals her secrets for authentic bruschetta, turning simple ingredients into a delicious Italian garlic bread.
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Ragù Comes In Many Forms
- Eileen lists many ragù variations: beef and pork, lamb, duck, hare, salchicha, fish and even donkey which she calls the best she ever tasted.
- She emphasises ragù is any finely chopped meat cooked slowly for at least three hours.
Ragù Is Family-Centric Comfort Food
- Ragù functions as family and gathering food because it feeds many and can be kept ready for staggered meal times.
- In Italy, portions of sauce per meat quantity are smaller, so a kilogram of meat stretches far for a crowd.
Build Flavor With A Proper Sofrito
- Start every slow-cooked ragu with a sofrito of diced carrot, celery and onion cooked slowly in olive oil until the onion is translucent.
- Use patience at low heat to build deep flavour before adding meat or liquids.