Tagliatelle al ragù bolognese

• By Mark Camilleri

For the pasta: 1 kilo of plain flour, 10 eggs, 30ml of olive oil, salt.

For the ragù: 100g of cubed pancetta, 500g of pork and beef mince, three onions (finely chopped), two carrots (finely chopped), two celery stalks (finely chopped), two cloves of garlic (finely chopped), 400ml of tomato pulp (use fresh tomatoes in the summer), 200ml of dry red wine, 200ml of kunserva, 30g of butter, 30ml of olive oil, a handful of fresh basil, two teaspoonfuls of chilli powder (optional).

To make the pasta: to make the pasta, sieve the flour with a pinch of salt and make a well in it. Add the eggs and olive oil and knead until you have smooth and elastic dough. Wrap this in cling-film and refrigerate it for at least an hour before using it.

To make the tagliatelle, roll out the dough, using either a pasta-rolling machine or a rolling-pin. Make thin sheets, roll them up and cut strips of the desired width. Place them on a floured tray and let them rest for an hour before cooking them. They cook virtually in seconds. There is good quality fresh pasta on the market now if you don’t have the time or inclination to make your own.

To make the ragù: in a deep pot, fry the pancetta in butter and olive oil with the chilli powder. Add the onions, celery, garlic and carrots and cook until they have softened. Put in the minced meat and cook it until it has browned nicely. Stir the kunserva into the meat and pour in the wine.

When the alcohol has evaporated, add the tomato pulp (or peeled and chopped fresh tomatoes in the summer), bring the pot to the boil, and then turn the heat right down and leave it to simmer for two hours. Once it done, add the basil leaves, turn off the heat and let the sauce rest.

To prepare the dish: add a pinch of salt to a pot of hot water and bring it to the boil, then put in the pasta. Work it out at 110g per person for a starter or 200g for a main course. These weights are just an indication, you can use as much as you like, depending on whether the person in question is a big eater or not. Put the drained tagliatelle onto flat plates and spoon the ragu over them, grating on some Parmesan cheese.