So, the boys dream came true this week. I dedicated all my recipes to MEAT. Being national butchers week, I thought it would be a great idea to cook classical Italian meat dishes using different cuts and cooking styles.
First recipe up this week, is probably one of the most popular Italian dishes within the UK -Pasta with bolognese sauce. Though Brits tend to serve this sauce with spaghetti, this idea totally horrifies Italians. Italians eat a bolognese ragú with tagliatelle as the flat ribbon pasta is designed for meat sauces as it helps to soak up the sauce and collect the meat in your fork. Spaghetti, on the other hand is actually used for creamy or oil based sauces making it not ideal for a ragu. So when you decide to eat a bolognese next, switch it up and cook tagliatelle instead. You’ll find that not all your ragu is left at the bottom of your bowl where it struggles to cling to the spaghetti. Total game changer.
Ingredients - serves 4-6 people
- 25g unsalted Butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 2 celery sticks, finely diced
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and Pepper
- 150g pancetta coppata, finely sliced and chopped. (ensure pancetta is unsmoked)
- 150g lardo, finely sliced and chopped
- 500g beef mince (organic preferably)
- 200g chicken livers, finely chopped
- 200ml red wine
- 1 x tin peeled tomatoes
- 100ml water
- 120ml whole milk
Directions
- First, melt the butter and oil in a deep pan on a low heat. Don’t allow it to burn. Very important.
- Then add the soffrito – onion, carrot & celery. Cook for 5 minutes until the veggies soften. Then season with salt, pepper and add the bay leaf. Cook for another 10 minutes, give it a good stir with a wooden spoon now and again.
- Then, add the finely sliced pancetta and lardo and brown for a few minutes
- Add then the beef mince and chicken livers. Brown the meat for a good 10 minutes.
- Pour in the red wine, increase the heat on the hob and cook the wine off for 5 minutes.
- At this point, add the peeled tomatoes and the water, turn the heat down to a simmer and cover the pan. Cook for at least 45 mins to an hour.
- Finally, pour in the milk and cook for at least another 15-20 minutes. Add seasoning if needed.
- Cook egg tagliatelle pasta in salted boiling water as instructed on the packet.
- Drain pasta and add to the ragú.
- Serve up generously. Serve with parmesan.
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