Tagliatelle al ragù
The classic meat sauce (ragù or sugo, depending on where you are) is debated and discussed endlessly. Beef or pork? Both? Herbs or not? Garlic or not? Red wine or white? Milk or no milk? There is no right answer and there will never be a consensus. It sparks fierce passion and disagreement.
Brutto’s senior sous chef Alan Williams worked in Bologna for three years, and we make his traditional Emilia-Romagna version. He insists that you can’t do justice to this recipe in under six hours, but I’ve adapted it for a domestic kitchen. It’s the best ragù I’ve tasted.
30g pork fat (or lard)
200g beef mince
200g pork mince
Flaky sea salt
Black pepper
300ml white wine
1 large onion, very finely diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and very finely diced
2 celery stalks, very finely diced
200ml whole milk
1 × 400g tin of good-quality chopped tomatoes
200ml chicken stock (more to top up if necessary)
320g fresh tagliatelle
120g grated Parmesan, for serving
Now, this may surprise you: we are going to cook the meat first.
In a very large, heavy bottomed saucepan, heat the pork fat (or lard) and sauté the beef and pork mince, with a good pinch of salt and a hearty twist of black pepper, for abo
