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Tagliatelle al ragù

Sunday in a pot

Tagliatelle al ragù
AI-generated photo.
2h37min
In all
37min
Hands-on
2h
Waiting
−14min
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For 4 peopleDifficulty 3/5With the steps in parallel, instead of one at a time.

Ingredients

The plan

  1. 01Chop aromatics and pancettaminutes 0–8
  2. 02Render the pancetta, then aromaticsminutes 8–18
  3. 03Brown the minceminutes 18–28
  4. 04Deglaze, then tomato and stockminutes 28–34
  5. 05Simmer low, milk halfwayminutes 34–154
  6. 06Put the water onminutes 140–150
  7. 07Cook the tagliatelleminutes 150–154
  8. 08Toss with ragù, parmigianominutes 154–157

hands busykeep an eyewaiting

The plan is for one cook, with one pan and two pots: PREP lines the steps up side by side.

The steps

  1. 01 Chop aromatics and pancetta hands-on · 8min · minutes 0–8

    Equal parts carrot, celery, onion. Pancetta on its own.

    • Small, even dice: it needs to melt into the sauce.
    • Knife, not food processor: blades turn it to mush and draw out water.
    • Keep the pancetta separate: it goes into the pot first, alone.
    • Fresh pancetta, never smoked. And no garlic, rosemary, or parsley.

    Cue. A fine, even chop, pancetta in its own little pile.

  2. 02 Render the pancetta, then aromatics hands-on · 10min · minutes 8–18

    Pancetta alone in the oil. Once it's rendered, the aromatics go in.

    • Pancetta and oil first: it makes the fat everything else cooks in.
    • Then the aromatics, medium-low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon.
    • It should soften, not fry: the onion must never taste scorched.
    • A heavy 24-26 cm pot. A thin bottom burns the soffritto.

    Cue. Glossy, translucent vegetables, a sweet smell, no dark edges.

  3. 03 Brown the mince hands-on · 10min · minutes 18–28

    Turn up the heat, ten minutes, until it sizzles.

    • Press it down and let it stick a little: that's flavour.
    • It should sizzle, not boil in its own liquid.
    • Beef, or beef and pork. Veal doesn't belong in ragù bolognese.
    • Go for collagen-rich forequarter cuts: shin, shoulder, brisket.

    Cue. Sizzling instead of simmering, the bottom of the pot amber.

  4. 04 Deglaze, then tomato and stock hands-on · 6min · minutes 28–34

    The wine must disappear completely. Then tomato purée, passata, stock.

    • Wait until the wine smell is gone: if it stays, the ragù tastes sour.
    • Scrape the bottom with the spoon: that's where the flavour is.
    • Not much tomato, and that's on purpose: ragù is a meat sauce, not a tomato one.
    • The stock boiling hot, never cold: cold stalls the cooking.

    Cue. No wine smell, the sauce easing back to a gentle boil.

  5. 05 Simmer low, milk halfway waiting · 2h · minutes 34–154

    Lowest heat, lid on, two hours. The milk at the halfway mark.

    • Lid fully on, not ajar: two hours uncovered leaves you with dry meat.
    • It should make a lazy plop-plop, never boil hard.
    • Hot stock whenever it tightens up, a little at a time.
    • At the one-hour mark pour in the milk and let it cook off completely before moving on.
    • Salt and pepper at the end, not before: as it reduces, everything concentrates.
    • Three hours instead of two won't hurt, if you have the time.

    Cue. Dark orange, not red: creamy, with glossy fat on the surface.

  6. 06 Put the water on waiting · 10min · minutes 140–150

    Big pot, plenty of water: salt it once it boils.

    • A litre for every hundred grams of pasta.
    • Put it on towards the end of the simmer: it should be boiling for the tagliatelle, not keeping the ragù company.

    Cue. A full, steady boil.

  7. 07 Cook the tagliatelle waiting · 4min · minutes 150–154

    Fresh egg pasta cooks fast: every minute counts.

    • Egg pasta is less forgiving than dried.
    • Set aside a cup of the cooking water.

    Cue. Tender but with some bite left.

  8. 08 Toss with ragù, parmigiano hands-on · 3min · minutes 154–157

    Tagliatelle into the ragù, one toss, parmigiano, and to the table.

    • Cooking water if it needs loosening up.
    • Parmigiano half in, half on the plate.

    Cue. Every tagliatella dressed in ragù.

Allergens

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Where the numbers come from

This recipe compares 4 sources. The quantities are the median of the versions, not one person’s opinion: where the sources disagree, the majority wins. Here they all are.

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