Travel While in the Kitchen With Italian Tagliatelle al Ragu

Do you want to have a taste of international travel without leaving the comfort of your home? If that’s the case, here’s a recipe from a different world cuisine that’ll send your taste buds on a journey across the continent without actually ever having to set foot outside your kitchen door.

Get Wild in the Kitchen

Ask any local from Bologna, from where the dish known as “spaghetti Bolognese” is said to have originated, and they will tell you that the world has got it wrong. The Ragu Alla Bolognese is best served with flat pasta, instead of straw-like spaghetti. Whip up a bowl of traditional tagliatelle al ragu, and see which variation of the famous dish you prefer.

Ingredients

• 1 tbs of butter
• 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
• 140g (5oz) pancetta, cut into small cubes
• ½ peeled and finely chopped small onion
• 1 small peeled and finely chopped carrot
• 300g (10 ½ oz) ground beef
• 5 tsp tomato paste
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 cup whole milk
• Fresh egg tagliatelle
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Shaved parmesan cheese, to serve

How to Cook It

First, you have to melt the butter in a pan. Then, add the pasta. After this, cook gently until the fat has rendered. Leave it for about 10 minutes. Then, add the celery, onion, carrot, and cook, stirring frequently until light and browned, for about 15 minutes. Then, add the ground beef and cook while stirring, until lightly browned and starting to sizzle. Add wine and cook until it evaporates, for about 5 minutes. Mix the tomato paste with a little water and then add it to the pan. Then, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours, adding the milk little by little, adjusting the seasoning, and stirring occasionally. Bring some salted water to a boil in a big pan and cook the tagliatelle until al dente. Toss the ragu and pasta and serve the dish with parmesan cheese.