A great classic from Emilia-Romagna: egg tagliatelle coated in a slowly simmered ragù, deep, silky, and generous. The sauce clings to the pasta without drowning it, featuring meltingly tender meat, red wine, milk, and Parmesan.
Ingredients
- 500 g fresh egg tagliatelle
- 300 g ground beef with fifteen percent fat
- 150 g plain bulk pork sausage
- 80 g thick-cut pancetta
- 1 piece yellow onion
- 1 piece carrot
- 1 sprig celery stalk
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 150 ml dry Italian red wine or Côtes du Rhône red
- 120 ml whole milk
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 200 ml plain tomato passata
- 250 ml beef broth
- 1 leaf bay leaf
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- to taste fine salt
- to taste freshly ground black pepper
- 60 g grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Method
- Finely dice the onion, carrot, celery, and pancetta; render the pancetta with the olive oil and butter in a Dutch oven until it becomes translucent and fragrant.
- Add the vegetables and cook gently for about ten minutes, stirring, until tender, glossy, and slightly sweet without browning heavily.
- Add the ground beef and sausage meat; mash and stir until the meat loses its raw appearance, releases its juices, and then begins to stick slightly to the bottom.
- Pour in the red wine and scrape up the browned bits with a wooden spoon; let reduce until the smell of alcohol dissipates and the pot smells of roasted meat.
- Stir in the milk, tomato paste, passata, broth, bay leaf, nutmeg, pepper, and a little salt; bring to a gentle simmer.
- Partially cover and simmer very gently for about two hours, stirring occasionally; the sauce should become thick, glossy, and reddish-brown, with meltingly tender meat.
- Remove the bay leaf, taste, and adjust the salt and pepper; if the sauce seems dry, loosen it with a little pasta cooking water.
- Cook the tagliatelle in a large pot of salted water until pliable but still al dente, then transfer them directly into the Dutch oven with the ragù.
- Toss gently over low heat until the pasta is well coated and satiny; serve immediately with grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 599.8 kcal
- Protein
- 37.48 g
- Carbohydrate
- 9.27 g
- Fat
- 42.69 g
- Fibre
- 1.8 g
- Calcium
- 51.34 mg
- Iron
- 0.79 mg
- Magnesium
- 18.16 mg
