An Italian Sunday lunch at home: pace, courses and a simple ragu

Sunday lunch in many Italian households is not a meal so much as an afternoon. The table is set mid-morning, a pot has been working on the stove since before anyone woke up, and the meal can easily stretch past three hours. It is a lovely way to host, and it takes less effort than it looks, because most of the work is done by time.

The pace

Plan for a long lunch. Guests arrive around 1 pm, eat around 1:30, and nobody stands up before 4. The trick is to serve courses in small portions, with breaks, so people never feel stuffed or hurried. Pour water as well as wine, and let conversation set the speed.

The courses

A traditional Sunday lunch follows a gentle order. You do not need all of them.

1. Antipasti. Something to nibble while guests settle: sliced cured meats, olives, good cheese, marinated vegetables, bread. Buy these, don’t cook them.
2. Primo. The pasta course, here the ragu. Served in modest portions.
3. Secondo with contorno. A simple main, such as roast chicken with potatoes, or sliced roast pork, plus a vegetable side or green salad.
4. Frutta, dolce, caffè. Seasonal fruit, a simple sweet, then coffee. A tray of biscuits works fine.

For a home cook, three courses is plenty: antipasti, pasta, and a roast with salad, then fruit and coffee.

A simple ragu for six

A ragu is a slow-cooked meat sauce. Families have their own versions, and this is a straightforward one.

You need:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, 1 carrot and 1 celery stalk, finely diced
• 500 g minced beef, or half beef and half pork
• 100 ml red or white wine (optional)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 can (796 ml) of crushed tomatoes
• 250 ml water or stock
• Salt, pepper, a bay leaf
• 500 g tagliatelle or pappardelle, and grated Parmesan to serve

Method:

1. Soften the vegetables in the oil over medium-low heat for 10 minutes without browning.
2. Brown the meat. Raise the heat, add the mince, break it up and let it brown properly. Do this in two batches if your pot is small. It takes about 10 minutes.
3. Add the wine and let it cook off. Stir in the tomato paste for a minute.
4. Add tomatoes, water and bay leaf. Season lightly.
5. Simmer gently, partly covered, for 2 to 3 hours, stirring now and then. Add water if it gets dry. It is ready when the sauce is thick and glossy, and the oil gathers at the edges.
6. Cook the pasta in well-salted water until just short of done. Toss it in the pan with a ladle of ragu and a splash of pasta water for a minute, then serve with cheese.

Ragu is better made a day ahead and keeps for three days in the fridge, or three months in the freezer. Reheat it until it is steaming hot.

A simple secondo

Roast a whole chicken at 200 degrees C for about 1 hour 15 minutes for a 1.8 kg bird, with lemon, garlic, rosemary and potatoes in the tray. Check that the thickest part of the thigh reaches 74 degrees C, then rest it for 15 minutes while the pasta is served.

A timeline for the host

• Day before: make the ragu, buy bread, cheeses and fruit.
• Morning: set the table. Prep the chicken and potatoes. Reheat the ragu on the lowest heat.
• 12:30: put the chicken in the oven. Put out the antipasti.
• 1:30: boil pasta, serve the primo.
• 2:30: carve the chicken, serve with a salad.
• 3:30: fruit, sweets, coffee.

What can go wrong

• Ragu is watery: simmer uncovered at the end.
• Pasta is sticking: use more water and stir early.
• Too much food: serve smaller portions. Leftovers are lunch for Monday.
• Guests with dietary needs: a tomato and vegetable ragu with lentils is a good alternative, and fresh fruit suits everyone.

A host’s note

Keep the table simple and the pace relaxed. A white tablecloth, a bowl of fruit, and a seat for yourself are all you need.

More menus from around the world are in our Around the World section.