01 · First course
Tagliatelle al Ragù
The dish Bologna is known for. A beef and pancetta ragù cooked slowly, finished with milk and tossed with fresh egg tagliatelle.
Ingredients
- 300 gcoarse-ground beef (skirt)
- 150 gpancetta, finely chopped
- 60 gonion
- 60 gcarrot
- 60 gcelery
- 1 glassdry white wine
- 300 gtomato passata
- 200 mlwhole milk
- As neededmeat broth
- 400 gfresh egg tagliatelle
- To tasteParmigiano Reggiano
Method
Finely chop onion, carrot and celery. Sweat them gently in a little oil with the chopped pancetta until soft, about 10 minutes.
Raise the heat, add the beef and brown it well, breaking up the lumps, until no liquid remains.
Pour in the white wine and let it evaporate completely.
Add the passata, season, and bring to a bare simmer. Cook covered on the lowest heat for at least 2 hours, adding broth whenever it dries out.
In the last 30 minutes stir in the warm milk. It takes the edge off the acidity and softens the meat.
Cook the tagliatelle in salted water for 2–3 minutes, drain, and toss with the ragù off the heat. Finish with Parmigiano.
Notes · variations & storage
The ragù is better the next day and freezes well for up to 3 months, so I always make a double batch.