Ragu abruzzese with pappardelle by Silvia Colloca
Made with Mutti Polpa
Mutti Polpa Finely Chopped Tomatoes is a unique product that combines the juice of the tomato with its thinly diced flesh, and is able to retain all the freshness of just picked fruit. A very versatile product, Mutti Polpa is perfect for both quick cook dishes and dishes that cook slowly or at high temperatures. It takes 5kg of fresh tomatoes to make 1kg of Mutti Polpa. It is made by the patented Mutti cold crushing method which ensures it retains all the flavour and fragrance of a ripe tomato (and is still a closely guarded secret to this day!).
(COOK TIME: 60+ min)
Easy
4 people
Ingredients
-
2
x
400 g tins of Mutti Polpa Finely Chopped Tomatoes
-
100
g
smoked pancetta, cut into 2 cm cubes
-
1
clove
garlic skin on, bashed with the palm of your hand
-
3
tablespoons
extra-virgin olive oil
-
1
carrot, chopped
-
1
brown onion, chopped
-
1
celery stick, chopped
-
2-3
juniper berries, crushed in a mortar and pestle
-
1
sprig
thyme
-
4-5
leaves
marjoram
-
250
g
beef mince
-
150
g
sausage meat, taken out of its casing
-
200
ml
red wine
-
2
cups
stock
-
1-2
leaves
bay
-
Salt flakes and freshly ground white pepper
-
400
g
of fresh Pappardelle
-
Freshly grated pecorino, to serve
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Ragu abruzzese with pappardelle by Silvia Colloca: Method
- To make the Ragu, cook the pancetta cubes and garlic in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat until the pancetta has rendered most of its fat and looks caramelised. Set aside to rest.
- Discard the garlic and most of the pancetta fat. Add the olive oil, the chopped carrot, onion and celery, juniper berries (slightly crushed in a mortar and pestle or with a rolling pin), thyme and marjoram, then cook over medium heat until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add in the beef mince and sausage meat and brown over high heat for 5 minutes, then return the pancetta to the pan. Deglaze the pan with the wine and simmer away until the alcohol has evaporated. Pour in the Mutti Polpa and stock, bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Add the bay leaves, season generously with salt and cover with a lid. Cook slowly for 4–6 hours, stirring occasionally. If it starts to dry out, add a little water.
- Towards the end of the cooking time, taste for salt and adjust accordingly, and season with white pepper.
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, drop in the pappardelle and cook for 2 minutes or until al dente. Drain well, but be sure to reserve a couple of tablespoons of the pasta cooking water to add to the Ragu. This little trick will help bind the sauce and create a richer, creamier texture.
- Toss the pappardelle with the meat sauce, dust with pecorino and fresh thyme leaves.
