I wanted the ultimate Bolognese. Six recipes later, I came up with the best ragu of them all.

Last year, my seasonal craving for ragu Bolognese - the famous long-simmered meat sauce from Italy's Emilia-Romagna region - failed to move on once the weather warmed up. Instead, it mushroomed into an obsession. You could blame the Great Confinement and an exaggerated need for comfort foods. But I …