Ragú Bolognese with tagliatelle

If there were one, this would be the real 'bolognese' - a slow-cooked veal and pork ragú that's ridiculously rich and flavourful.

• serves

  4-6

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  7 hours

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 80 ml (⅓ cup) extra virgin olive oil
• 80 g thinly sliced and chopped pancetta
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 brown onion, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 500 g mixed pork and veal mince
• 200 ml red wine
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 litre good-quality beef or chicken stock
• 1–2 bay leaves
• sea salt flakes, to taste
• 150 ml milk
• 500 g tagliatelle pasta
• freshly ground white pepper, to taste
• freshly grated pecorino or parmesan, to serve

Instructions

1. Heat half olive oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook gently for 1-2 minutes, then add the carrot, onion and celery and cook for 7-8 minutes or until the onion is soft and translucent.

2. Move the veggies to one side in the pan and increase the heat to high. Add the remaining oil and when hot, add the pork and veal mince and cook for 5 minutes, breaking up any lumps as you go. Add the wine and simmer for about 2 minutes or until the alcohol has evaporated. Add the tomato paste, stock and 500 ml (2 cups) water, bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Add the bay leaves, season with salt and cover with a lid. Cook slowly for 4–6 hours, stirring occasionally. If it starts to dry out, add a little water.

3. Towards the end of the cooking time, increase the heat to medium and add the milk. Simmer for another 20 minutes or until thickened and reduced. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Drop in the tagliatelle and cook for 2-4 minutes or until al dente. Reserve a couple of tablespoons of cooking water, then drain the pasta well. Adding a little pasta cooking water to the ragú helps bind the sauce and create a richer, creamier texture. Toss the pasta in the sauce to coat well, top with the grated pecorino and serve hot.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.