HOW TO MAKE HANDMADE PAPPARDELLE WITH THE BEST RAGU ALLA BOLOGNESE!
RECIPE
Makes 4 serves - Preparation time 1 hour - cooking time: 3 hours for the ragu' + 3 minutes to cook pasta
180g 00 flour + 20g semolina wheat flour (or 200g all-purpose flour)
2 eggs
olive oil, 5 T
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 sticks celery, diced
1 carrot, peeled and chopped finely
1 garlic clove, crushed
400g beef mince
400g pork mince or sausage
salt and black pepper
1 tbsp chopped thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup red wine
3 tbsp tomato paste
350g tomato sauce
1 cup water
½ cup of milk
4 Tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan (optional)
MAKING THE SAUCE Heat a large pot until hot and add the olive oil.
Suate the onion until translucent.
Add celery, carrot and garlic and cook until softened.
Add the mince and cook until browned all over. Season with salt and pepper.
Add thyme and bay leaf.
Add the wine, mix well and let it evaporate on a high flame.
Add the tomato paste, stir well, then add tomato sauce.
Finally add the water and bring to the boil. Cover and let it simmer away for at least two/three hours (actually the more it cooks the better will taste, my grandmother used to cook it for 5 hours, so don’t be in a hurry!), or until the beef is tender.
A few minutes before turning the flame off add the milk and stir gently. The milk will make the meat more tender.
MAKING THE DOUGH
Place the flour in a bowl. Make a well in the center and crack the eggs into it.
Gently combine eggs with flour using a fork from the middle outwards.
With your hands, gradually incorporate the flour from the outside of the well toward the center, kneading gently until the mass of dough comes together.
Put the dough on a wooden surface and knead it until it is smooth and resilient.
You may need to add more flour, or you may not be able to incorporate all of the flour, depending on the humidity and the size of the eggs. If the dough is sticky or extremely pliable, knead more flour in.
Work the mass of dough with your hands to develop the gluten in the flour for about 10-15 minutes or until it is smooth and elastic.
Using the heel of your hand, push the dough down and away from you, fold it in half back toward you, rotate a quarter turn and repeat the kneading motion.
Cover the dough and place it in the fridge to rest for at least half an hour before using.
After the resting time, dust the work surface with some extra flour, take a portion of dough the size of a large orange and press it out flat with your fingertips.
Set the pasta machine at its widest setting, (usually '0, but it depends on the kind of machine you use).
Pass the dough through the rollers once.
Fold the resulting strip into thirds.
Roll the pasta dough through the widest setting 5 times, till your dough has a rectangular shape and is smooth. Lightly dust the pasta with flour if it is at all sticky. Narrow the setting of the pasta machine to position '1' and roll the dough through.
Continue passing the dough through the rollers, reducing the thickness by 1 setting each time until it reaches the desired thickness. It should now be very delicate, elastic to the touch and slightly translucent.
Now cut the pasta sheet into smaller 15 cm long sheets. Working with one sheet at a time cut them into 2.5 cm stripes with a sharp knife or a pasta cutter wheel.
Once you have made the pappardelle, leave them to rest for 20 minutes on a wooden board, then wrap a few of the stripes around your fingers, creating nests and leave to rest on a tray lined with baking paper.
Sprinkle with flour and leave until you are ready to cook.
COOKING PAPPARDELLE
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook tagliatelle until tender, about 3 minutes.
Toss with sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.
Hope you enjoy this recipe! If you make it, please let me know your thoughts and tag me on my Fb page Pasta Journey or my Instagram _pastajourney_ . I would love to hear from you!