THE ARTISANAL BISTRO RAGU
makes 14 servings · total 55m · tested

A high-end, complex ragu utilizing a baking soda velveting technique for
the beef, a passive insulated simmer in a pressure cooker, and a rich
lactic emulsion finish.

INGREDIENTS
  -- The Velvet Base --
     1360 g   ground beef (approx 3 lbs)
       30 g   water
        6 g   baking soda
  -- The Liquid Base & Pasta --
     1588 g   crushed tomatoes (two standard 28oz cans)
      908 g   pasta (2 lbs total (e.g., 50/50 split of Cavatappi and
              Rotini))
  -- The Precision Spice Matrix --
       24 g   sugar
       18 g   kosher salt
        6 g   MSG
        6 g   Italian herb blend
        3 g   fennel seed (smashed; heavily smash in a bag if whole)
        3 g   Herbes de Provence
        3 g   sweet basil leaf (dried)
        3 g   black pepper
      0.5 g   nutmeg
              bay leaves (2 whole leaves (keep separate from matrix))
  -- The Lactic Emulsion Finish --
       90 g   cream cheese
       60 g   sour cream

STEPS
  Alkalization (Velveting)
    1. Dissolve the 6g of baking soda into the 30g of water.
    2. Mix it thoroughly into the 1360g of ground beef by hand.
    3. Let it sit undisturbed for exactly 15 minutes. This raises the pH
       of the meat, preventing the proteins from seizing and squeezing
       out their moisture under high heat.
  Cook the Ragu
    1. The Hard Sauté: Turn your pressure cooker to the Sauté function.
       Add the beef and cook until deeply browned. Do not drain the
       rendered fat. This lipid base is required to extract the fat-
       soluble flavor compounds from the herbs.
    2. Bloom the Matrix: Turn the pressure cooker completely OFF.
       Immediately drop the entire Precision Spice Matrix (everything
       except the bay leaves) into the hot beef and fat. Stir constantly
       for 60 seconds. The residual heat of the heavy pot safely
       extracts the anethole from the fennel and the linalool from the
       Herbes de Provence without scorching them.
    3. Hydration and Reheat: Pour in the 1588g of crushed tomatoes. Stir
       well, scraping the bottom of the pot to lift any fond. Turn the
       Sauté function back ON and stir constantly just until the mixture
       begins to aggressively bubble.
    4. Passive Simmer: The moment the sauce bubbles, turn the pressure
       cooker OFF again. Drop in the 2 whole bay leaves and put the lid
       on the pot. The heavily insulated pot will trap the heat,
       passively simmering the sauce for 20 minutes with zero risk of
       burning the bottom.
  Pasta & Emulsion
    1. Boil the Pasta: While the sauce simmers, boil a large pot of
       heavily salted water. If using two different pasta shapes (like
       10-minute cavatappi and 7-minute rotini), drop the longer-cooking
       pasta first, set a timer for the difference (3 minutes), then
       drop the second pasta so they finish cooking perfectly al dente
       at the exact same time. Reserve a cup of starchy pasta water,
       then drain.
    2. The Lactic Emulsion: Remove the lid from the pressure cooker and
       discard the 2 bay leaves. Add the 90g of cream cheese and 60g of
       sour cream to the hot sauce. Stir vigorously until they
       completely melt and emulsify, turning the sauce a rich, velvety
       pink-orange.
    3. The Bind: Fold the drained pasta directly into the massive pot of
       sauce. Toss aggressively to coat every noodle, adding splashes of
       the reserved pasta water 15g at a time until the sauce glosses
       over the pasta perfectly.

EQUIPMENT
  Large pressure cooker (for heat insulation), large pasta pot.

FOOD SAFETY
  Ensure the ground beef is fully browned during the sauté phase.

STORAGE
  Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

LICENSE
  CC BY 4.0: share and adapt freely, credit longproof and link to
  https://longproof.duckdns.org/recipes/the-artisanal-bistro-ragu.txt
  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/