Pappardelle Con Ragú Genovese (Tomatoless Ragú with Pappardelle)
Beautiful recipe from the TV series 'Cook like an Italian' by Essteele's ambassador Silvia Colloca.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 small brown or white onions, thinly sliced
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 1 celery stick, finely chopped
- 300 g chuck steak, cut into large? chunks
- 300 g beef cheeks cut into chunks
- 200 ml white wine
- 800 ml water
- salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
- 400 g pappardelle
To Serve
- grated parmigiano
Method:
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat, add the onion, carrot and celery and cook until softened.
- Add the meat (in batches if needed so you don't overcrowd the pan) and brown well all over.
- Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up any bits caught on the base, and cook out the alcohol for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the water and season to taste (don't over season at this point as the long, slow cooking process will intensify the flavours).
- Cover and cook over low heat for 4-6 hours (or even 8 hours, if you can!). You know the sauce is ready when the meat falls apart, and the sauce is dark red and has left a coating on the side of the pan. Leave the sauce in the pan overnight to allow the flavours to mingle and settle, if you have time, or eat straight away,
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Drop in the pasta and stir well, then cook for 4-5 minutes or until al dente.
- Meanwhile, heat up the sauce, breaking up the meat with a fork if you need to.
- Use tongs to transfer the pappardelle to a large serving platter, dragging along a little pasta cooking water, then top with the ragú and toss well. Make sure the noodles are perfectly coated in the sauce.
- Finish with a sprinkling of parmigiano and serve hot.