TAGLIATELLE WITH RAGU

Pappardelle

Did you know that Italians would never dream of serving their traditional bolognese sauce on spaghetti? Tagliatelle or if you cannot find it, pappardelle or fettuccine, are also acceptable pasta to serve their ragù alla bolognese.

This recipe is one of the best I have ever eaten and it is absolutely delightful. A couple of times we haven't had enough time to let it cook for 3 hours and have had to cut it short. Still delicious!! 😍

INGREDIENTS
1 onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
100g pancetta or bacon, finely chopped
250g minced pork
250g minced beef
2 oregano sprigs, leaves separated
120g chicken livers, trimmed and finely chopped (I use paté instead)
125ml dry white wine
215ml milk
400g tin chopped tomatoes
250ml beef stock
pinch of nutmeg
olive oil
salt & pepper
400g tagliatelle
grated parmesan

METHOD:
Prepare all ingredients. I use a food processor to chop the vegetables.

Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the pancetta or bacon. Cook for about 1 minute.

Add the onion and the garlic and cook for a further minute.

Add the celery and carrot and cook over moderate heat for about 6 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Add the minced beef, pork and oregano to the saucepan. Season with salt and pepper and the nutmeg. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the mince has changed colour but not browned.

Add the chicken livers (or paté) and cook until it changes colour.

Pour in the wine, increase the heat and boil over high heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the wine has been absorbed.

Stir in 125ml of the milk, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and half the stock and bring it to the boil.

Partially cover the pan and leave to simmer gently over very low heat for 3 hours.

Add more stock as it is needed to keep the sauce moist.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente.

Stir the remaining milk into the sauce 5 minutes before serving.
Taste the sauce for seasoning, then drain the tagliatelle, toss with the sauce and serve with grated Parmesan.

Serves 4 - 6

Tagliatelle

Variation:

This is a very traditional Catalan recipe. It is real comfort food to me. I grew up eating it and it was a favourite Sunday lunch dish.

Method:

Follow the above recipe but when you put the pasta to boil, preheat oven to 200C.

Make a bechamel sauce - I used the Thermomix and it takes only about 10 minutes to cook, but you can make it on the stove.

Once the pasta is cooked and strained, put it on a baking dish, add the ragu and about 1/4 of the bechamel sauce and mix well.

Top with the bechamel sauce and sprinkle some grated parmesan or pecorino cheese and bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown.

Serve immediately.

Macarroni with bechamel sauce

Comments

TOMATO CARPACCIO WITH SPRING ONION & GINGER SALSA

There is only one trick to this salad: the tomatoes must be ripe! The rest is easy and it is so delicious, you will want to make it many times. It would be a fantastic side dish to accompany any recipe. It is exceptionally good. INGREDIENTS 3cm piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped 3 spring onions, very finely sliced 40ml sunflower or olive oil 2 tsp good quality sherry vinegar 400g (beef) tomatoes (2-3 depending on size) sliced 2mm thick 1 small green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped 1 1/2 Tbsp finely shredded coriander 1 Tbsp olive oil flaked sea salt METHOD: Put the ginger and 1/2 teaspoon of flaked salt into a pestle and mortar and crush to a fine paste. Transfer to a bowl with the spring onions and stir to combine. Put the oil into a small pan and place on a low heat until just warm: you don't want it to heat too much. Pour over the spring onions and add 1 teaspoon of vinegar. Stir together and set aside. Chop the chili and ...

SLOW-BAKED LAMB SHOULDER

This is a lamb recipe that is so delicious you are going to make it more than once. A favourite of friends and family. I like to accompany with a couscous salad with feta and almonds and a yoghurt and bean dip . Recipes in this blog. INGREDIENTS 1.8 - 2.2 kg lamb shoulder, with or without the bone 2 tsp sea salt flakes 8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped 6 sprigs rosemary, stripped and leaves chopped 1 Tbsp black peppercorns 100ml extra virgin olive oil zest and juice of 1 lemon 3 Tbsp dried oregano 100ml white wine vinegar METHOD: Preheat the oven to 150°C (fan-forced). Trim extra fat from lamb. If you using a shoulder with the bone, make small incisions on the skin. Grind the salt, garlic, rosemary and peppercorns in a mortar and pestle or small food processor. Add the olive oil, lemon zest and juice and dried oregano. If using a boned shoulder, open out the lamb. Massage the marinade into the lamb. Make sure it goes into the small incisions. Pla...

TOFU MEATBALL KORMA

Tonight's meal is the Ottolenghi's Korma Feast. Gosh it was delicious 😋 ! I have been super tired with work and haven't felt much like cooking. We have not been eating very well in the last couple of weeks.... But tonight we really had a great meal even though I had to spend hours in the kitchen 🙄 . But it was worth it 😁 . Tofu meatball korma & Spicy berbere ratatouille with Olive oil flatbreads . All made from scratch. Just superb! The tofu meatballs are just amazing. I have leftover tofu and will make a batch and freeze them for another day. I can eat them just with no sauce or any other sauce. They would be lovely with some tomato base sauce or any curry sauce. But even with a side vegetable dish or salad. My husband thought that they were made with mince meat!! Yum yum! Ingredients ½ red onion, thinly sliced (60g) 2 tbsp lemon juice 40g cashews 20g blanched almonds 6 cardamom pods, shells discarded and seeds removed 2 tsp cumin seeds 2 tsp coriande...

THE BEST ONION GRATIN

I love this recipe. I have to stop myself for not eating more than I need. It goes really well as part of a baked dinner. When you try it, you'd want to make it again and again. 😍😋💚 Ingredients 4 medium red onions, peeled and quartered olive oil sea salt & freshly ground black pepper 8 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced a small wineglass of white wine 4 Tbsp crème fraîche 50g gruyère cheese, grated 50g parmesan cheese, grated Preparation Preheat the oven to 200°C. Break the onion quarters apart to give you little 'petals'. Place these in an earthenware oven dish. Drizzle with a couple of glugs of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper, and toss in your thyme and garlic. Mix up well, add your white wine. Cover with a double layer of tinfoil, wrap tightly and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove the dish from the oven, take the tinfoil off and pop th...

ROAST CABBAGE WITH PECORINO

This is the first time I cooked this recipe and it is amazing!! We had leftovers and served warmed the following day for lunch with family members and they all wanted the recipe. It is just a very different way to eat cabbage and it is scrumptious. From Ottolenghi's cookbook 'Simple'. INGREDIENTS 120ml olive oil 2 lemons: finely grate the zest to get 2 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp lemon juice 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 cabbage (sweetheart, pointed cabbage or other), cut lengthways into eighths a small handful of parsley or tarragon leaves, roughly chopped 30g of pecorino or parmesan cheese, shaved salt and black pepper METHOD: Preheat oven to 220°C. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the oil, lemon zest, garlic, 1/4 tsp salt and a good grind of pepper. Set aside 2 Tbsp. Arrange the cabbage on a parchment-lined tray and brush with the oil mixture. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until the edges are crisp and golden-brown. Transfer the c...

HOMECOOKING WITH TERESA

Search This Blog