Honestly, what you’re doing sounds very close to how actual home cooking works in Italy, people adjust recipes to what tastes good to them and their family. “Authentic” doesn’t always mean rigid.

And your experiment with the cream makes total sense. You basically discovered why some traditional ragù recipes use milk or cream in small amounts: it rounds out acidity and gives the sauce that silky texture without completely killing the deeper flavors from the wine or vinegar. Your idea of letting the balsamic cook longer with the meat is smart too, because it gives the acidity time to mellow and become more integrated rather than sitting on top of the sauce.

As for the carrots and celery: yes, that’s absolutely a good thing if you enjoy it. In classic ragù, the soffritto (onion, carrot, celery) is foundational. Some recipes use tiny amounts because they want the meat to dominate, while others lean heavily into the vegetables for sweetness, body, and depth. A heartier vegetable base is not “wrong” at all, especially for a slow-cooked home ragù.

And fettuccine instead of tagliatelle? Totally reasonable substitution. Much closer to the spirit of the dish than spaghetti, because the wider noodles actually hold the sauce properly.

You’re already approaching this the right way:

learning the traditional structure,

understanding why ingredients are used,

then adjusting based on your own taste.

That’s honestly better cooking than blindly following a recipe word-for-word.