Tagliatelle al ragù

Cook it at home: Tagliatelle al ragù bolognese

Bologna's ragù is about meat, not tomato. Cook the soffritto slowly, brown the meat properly, let the milk soak in, then simmer at a bare bubble for three hours.

Pans and tools

• Heavy pot or Dutch oven
• Pasta machine or long rolling pin
• Large pot for the pasta
• Wide skillet for tossing
• Tongs

You’ll need

• For the ragù: 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp butter
• 3 1/2 oz (100 g) pancetta, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, 1 carrot and 1 celery stalk, all very finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups total)
• 14 oz (400 g) coarsely ground beef chuck
• 7 oz (200 g) ground pork
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) dry white wine
• 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
• 3 tbsp tomato paste dissolved in 1 cup (240 ml) warm meat or chicken stock
• 1 to 2 cups (240 to 480 ml) more stock, as needed
• 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste, and black pepper
• For the pasta: 3 1/3 cups (400 g) '00' flour and 4 large eggs, or 1 lb (450 g) good dried egg tagliatelle
• 3 tbsp butter, for tossing
• Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated, to serve

Steps

1. Heat the oil and butter in a heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the pancetta and cook 5 minutes until the fat runs. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook gently, stirring often, for 15 minutes until very soft and sweet but not browned.
2. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the beef and pork. Break it up and cook, stirring, until all the liquid has evaporated and the meat sizzles and browns in spots, 12 to 15 minutes.
3. Pour in the wine and let it bubble until it has almost disappeared, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the milk, lower the heat and simmer until it has been absorbed, about 10 minutes. This keeps the meat tender.
5. Stir in the tomato paste and stock, salt and pepper. Bring to the barest simmer, partly cover, and cook 3 hours, stirring every 20 minutes and adding a splash of stock whenever it looks dry. It's ready when it's thick, glossy and the meat is soft; it should be moist, not soupy.
6. If making pasta: mound the flour on a board, make a well, crack in the eggs and beat them with a fork, drawing in flour until a dough forms. Knead 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Wrap and rest 30 minutes.
7. Roll the dough out very thin (you should almost see your hand through it), by pasta machine to the second-thinnest setting or with a long rolling pin. Let the sheets dry 10 minutes, roll them up loosely and cut into 1/3-inch (8 mm) ribbons. Toss with flour and form into nests.
8. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Cook fresh tagliatelle 2 to 3 minutes (dried as the package says) until tender with a little bite.
9. Meanwhile warm 2 cups of the ragù in a wide pan with the butter. Lift the pasta straight into the pan with tongs, add a splash of pasta water and toss for a minute until every ribbon is coated.
10. Serve at once with Parmigiano at the table.

Contains: Wheat, egg, milk.