← Nouns Cooking · Italian

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 30 g Butter
• 100 g Pancetta or guanciale, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 Carrot, finely chopped
• 1 stick Celery, finely chopped
• 250 g Minced beef
• 250 g Minced pork
• 120 ml dry white wine
• 3 tbsp Tomato purée (paste)
• 400 ml beef stock, hot
• 100 ml whole milk
• ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 400 g egg tagliatelle, fresh or dried
• 50 g Parmesan, finely grated, to serve
• Salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oil and butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook for 3 min, then add the onion, carrot and celery and soften gently for 10 min without browning.
2. Turn the heat up, add both minces and break them up with a wooden spoon. Cook for 8–10 min until the meat has lost its pink colour and the liquid has evaporated.
3. Pour in the wine and let it bubble away for 2–3 min. Stir the tomato paste into a ladle of the hot stock, then add it to the pot with the rest of the stock, the nutmeg and a little salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a bare simmer, partly cover and cook over the lowest heat for 2 hours, stirring now and then and adding a splash of water if it starts to catch.
5. Stir in the milk and simmer uncovered for 10 min more. The ragù should be thick, rich and more meat than sauce. Taste for salt.
6. Cook the tagliatelle in salted boiling water until al dente, drain and toss with the ragù over low heat for 1 minute. Serve with plenty of parmesan.

Tips

• In Bologna this ragù is never served on spaghetti: wide egg ribbons hold the chunky sauce far better.
• It tastes even better the next day and freezes well for up to 3 months.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Marcellina in Cucina Cooking with Manuela