I just made a really delicious meat ragu, served over egg papardelle. When we were in Tuscany last fall we had some fantastic Pici pasta with a rabbit ragu at our inn’s restaurant, and this is my attempt at something similar. We stayed at the Locanda dell’Amorosa, an inn about 40 km from Siena, just outside a fairly grubby industrial town named Sinalunga. Aside from Sinalunga, everything about the Locanda dell’Amorosa was incredible – as you can see from these pictures. We had a lovely room with a view out over vineyards and rolling hills. It’s a working farm and produces its own wine. It has a great restaurant. It has a beautiful pool (although it was a bit chilly for swimming when we were there). And it’s in the middle of the Chianti region of Tuscany, about half an hour’s drive from Siena, Montepulciano and Pienza. It’s a bit further to San Gimignano, but still an easy day trip.
Pici is the local pasta - kind of like a really thick spaghetti, often served with a simple ragu. So this evening I wanted to try to make a ragu sauce like the one at the restaurant. My wife has decreed that rabbit shall not enter our home, so I made do with pork sausage and some pancetta.
To make enough sauce for two people (as you’ll see from the quantities of ingredients, it’d be easier to double this and make enough for four…):
- Half a carrot, diced
- Half a rib of celery, diced
- Half an onion, diced
- 3 Italian sausage (200 grams)
- 100 grams Pancetta or thick sliced bacon
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/3 cup good red wine (I suggest a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo)
- Half a can of chopped tomatoes (200 grams)
- 1 teaspoon chile flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
- A sturdy, long pasta, such as Pici, Pappardelle, or Fettucini
Pour a slug of good olive oil into a medium sized heavy pot (I use a cast iron Le Creuset), and heat over medium heat. When the pan is hot (but not too hot), add the carrot, celery, and onion. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring regularly, until softened but not browned. Add the sausage and pancetta. break up the sausage into crumbly bits – it helps if you take the casing off. Just run a sharp knife across the sausage, lengthwise, to cut the casing, then peel it off. Continue to cook over medium heat, breaking the sausage up as it cooks, for another 10 minutes or so. Clear a space in the middle of the pot, then add the tomato paste. Stir it in the middle of the pot for a minute or two to caramelize, then mix it all together. Pour in the wine, mix well, and let the liquid cook off – another few minutes. Add the tomatoes and chili flakes, and mix well. Cook for a few more minutes, until the sauce is the desired thickness. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste (most tomotoes have lots of salt added, so taste the sauce before you add any more).
Boil a large pot of water, add the pasta, cook until done, drain, and serve with your sauce. Grate some good fresh parmesan or romano cheese over it. I’m still working on a hunk of romano we brought back from our trip (I think we bought it in Pienza – a perfect little Tuscan hill town, founded by and named after Pope Pius).
I steamed some asparagus and served it with butter, more romano, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
And if you’ve never been to Tuscany… GO!!!
Posted by kgagan 