PAPPERDELLE WITH A RICH RAGU

This version of bolognaise will surprise as it is not complex and it doesn’t have tins of tomato sauce and it doesn’t call for spaghetti. This rich sauce needs to cling to wide ribbons of al dente pasta so you can slurp it off the fork.

Serves 4- 6

Ingredients

100g smoked bacon or pancetta, roughly chopped (rind removed)

1 onion, finely diced

1 carrot, finely diced

2 sticks celery, peeled and finely diced

1kg minced beef, good quality

¼ cup red wine

140g tomato purée

2 beef stock cubes

2 bay leaves

1 kg fresh lasagna sheets, cut into 1 cm strips

Parmesan, to serve

Extra virgin olive oil

Method

Begin by making the ragu as this needs time to cook out to let the flavours develop.

Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a heavy based fry pan or wide saucepan. Add the bacon and cook off to for a couple of minutes to extract the fat and flavour, now add the onions, carrot and celery. Stir well to combine and so it coats in all the bacon fat.

Add the mince and break up any clumps that form, you want the mince to get lovely and brown and to look appealing (lumps aren’t). This will take 15 minutes approx.

Add the red wine and reduce until almost disappeared, add the tomato puree and once again combine well so all the meat is coated. Fry for a minute or two so the flavours deepen.

Add 500 ml hot water with the 2 beef stock cubes dissolved.

Add the bay leaves, cover and lower the temperature to a very gentle simmer.

Cook for 2 hours to allow the flavours to deepen and for the sauce to thicken.

To cook the pasta: place a large deep pot of salted water on to boil. When boiling add the pasta and stirring briefly so that it doesn’t stick. If the pasta is fresh it will only take a matter of minutes.

When cooked, drain immediately.

Add the pasta to the ragu and coat well in the sauce, season if needed and grate over some parmesan cheese. Toss to combine.

Serve in bowls with more cheese on top.