Today I am excited to bring you an authentic Italian recipe. Ginny from Cooking with Chopin, Living with Elmo contacted me about participating in a blogging book tour for a new cookbook called “A Family Farm in Tuscany” I love Italy (even though I have never been), so I was excited to see what this book was all about.
This is not just your ordinary cookbook. It is full of all sorts of family recipes straight from Sarah Fioroni, and her family. But is also full of so many wonderful stories, and background about life on their farm, and life in Italy. You get a true sense of how important food and family is to them. Plus there is a lot of talk about wine, which is never bad.
I picked your basic meat sauce to make first. I have a meat sauce that I make, but I know it isn’t authentic, so I wanted to try this out. It is wonderful. The quality of tomatoes make a big difference in the sauce. This is great to eat straight with pasta, or would be delicious in a lasagna. I can’t wait to try out some of the other recipes in this book. Fresh bread, fresh pasta, risotto, panna cotta…there really is a little bit of everything.
Linguini with Beef Ragu Sauce

An authentic Beef Ragu Sauce, served with linguini. A review of the new cookbook "A Family Farm in Tuscany"
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large carrot, , peeled and finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, , finely chopped
- 1 small red onion, , finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, , minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 3 cups tomato sauce, (preferably San Marzano tomatoes)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 pound spaghetti, , cooked according to the package directions
- basil leaves for garnish
- Parmesan cheese, , optional
Instructions
- In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Cook until lightly browned, 10-15 minutes.
- Add the ground beef, stirring to break into clumps. Brown the meat lightly, about 10 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and salt, stir until well combined. Cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from the heat, and toss with the cooked spaghetti. Top with Parmesan cheese and basil if desired.
Notes
Adapted From A Family Farm in Tuscany
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 435Total Fat 22gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 15gCholesterol 68mgSodium 1064mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 3gSugar 6gProtein 28g
Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on dinnersdishesanddesserts.com should only be used as a general guideline.
Be sure to check out what else is going on in the Blogging Book Tour
**This post contains affiliate links. I was sent this cookbook to review. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.
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kathy
Sunday 13th of March 2016
No offense people, however I read the reviews only to get other views on how this tastes, not a review of how good it looks! I never leave a review until I actually make the recipe, because I don't believe anybody's interested in my view of it's pictures.
rachel
Wednesday 12th of December 2012
just a friendly comment - in the directions about sauteeing the veggies in the beginning, it says "cool for about 15 minutes" - I was VERY confused for a quick moment!!
Erin
Wednesday 12th of December 2012
Thanks! I will fix that:)
Sarah Fioroni
Tuesday 6th of November 2012
Thank you for being part of the blog tour! Your linguini look delicious!
Tracey
Monday 5th of November 2012
This is comfort food defined, I could totally go for a big bowl for dinner tonight!
Caneel
Sunday 4th of November 2012
Great job on a beautiful presentation of this - I can't wait to make it! :)