Tagliatelle With Veal And Pea Ragu Food

TAGLIATELLE WITH VEAL AND PEA RAGU

Steps:

• Trim veal of any large bits of sinew or fat and cut into small pieces (about 2cm). Lightly dust the veal with flour and shake off any excess.
• Heat a frying pan on high, add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and fry the veal until brown all over (be careful not to overcrowd the pan; do it in two batches if necessary). Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Heat a heavy-based saucepan and add the remaining oil and butter. When frothing, add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes before adding the carrot and celery, then season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium until soft and lightly golden. Add the browned veal, the wine, sage leaves and a quarter of a cup of water. When it comes to the boil, reduce the temperature to a simmer, cover and cook for about 35 minutes (you may need to add just a little more water if there is not enough liquid). If you are using fresh peas, pod them and add them now. Otherwise continue to cook for another 10 minutes or until the veal has become meltingly tender, adding the frozen peas for the last couple of minutes.
• To serve: cook pasta in plenty of salted boiling water until al dente; drain and toss through the veal and pea ragu. Add a knob of butter and a tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately, sprinkled with a little parsley, and offer more grated Parmesan on the side.
• Note: This sauce can be made one or two days ahead of time up to the point where you have added and cooked the peas. Then gently reheat and proceed as before.
• If using fresh peas, ensure you either pod them yourself or use ones that have been recently podded, as they quickly become mealy.

TAGLIATELLE WITH SMASHED PEAS, SAUSAGE, AND RICOTTA CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes if dry or according to package directions if fresh. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
• Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet heat the olive oil and garlic over medium-high heat and add the sausage. Use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage into bite-sized bits. When the sausage has browned, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside. Add the peas to the pan and, using the back of the wooden spoon, smash the peas. Turn off the heat. Add the ricotta cheese along with the cooked pasta and toss to coat, adding the pasta cooking water in 1/4 cup additions, if needed, to make the pasta moist. Return the sausage to the pan. Add the basil, Pecorino Romano cheese, and salt. Toss gently to coat and serve immediately.

VEAL RAGU WITH CAMPANELLE

Steps:

• Heat a large deep skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and veal and brown for 2 or 3 minutes. Add carrot, onion, garlic and bay, season with salt and pepper, then cook mixture 4 or 5 minutes more, stirring frequently, to soften veggies and combine flavors. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup white wine, scraping up all the good bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook the alcohol out of the wine, 1 or 2 minutes. Add broth to the skillet and reduce heat to medium low. Stir in tomatoes and bring sauce to a bubble. Simmer sauce until ready to serve. Add torn basil and wilt the leaves into the hot sauce. Remove bay leaf from the sauce. Toss hot cooked pasta with 1/2 cup, a couple of handfuls, grated cheese. Combine hot pasta and cheese with the veal ragu in a large serving bowl or platter. Serve with extra cheese for topping. Garnish platter with additional basil tops.

TAGLIATELLE WITH WHITE MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• For the sauce: Put the ground meats in a large bowl; loosen, crumble, and toss the meats together with your fingers.
• Drop the chunks of onion, carrot, and celery into the food processor, and mince fine, to an even-textured paste. Pour the olive oil and drop the butter into the big saucepan, and set over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted, scrape in the paste, or pestata, season with 1 teaspoon of the salt, and cook and stir the pestata until it has dried out and just begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes.
• Quickly crumble all the meat into the pan, stir with the pestata, sprinkle over it 1 more teaspoon of salt, and cook, tossing and stirring occasionally, until the meat starts to release its juices. Turn up the heat a bit, and continue cooking and stirring the meat as the juices evaporate, about 10 minutes, taking care that the meat doesn't brown or crisp.
• When the juices have disappeared, pour in the white wine, bring it to a bubbling simmer, and cook until evaporated, 2 or 3 minutes. Meanwhile, stir the tomato paste into the milk until blended. When the wine has cooked away, pour in the milk and cook, stirring, until it has cooked down.
• Now ladle 2 cups or more of the hot stock (or water) into the pan, just enough to cover the meat. Stir in the bay leaves and the remaining salt, and bring the liquid to an active simmer. Cover the pan, adjust the heat so the liquid is steadily bubbling (not boiling rapidly), and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, as the broth gradually reduces. Stir in about 2 more cups hot stock, just to cover the meat again, then give another 20-minute period of covered cooking and reducing. Stir in a final addition of 2 cups stock, and cook, covered, until the ragù is thick and concentrated, 20 minutes or so. (The sauce should have cooked for at least an hour and incorporated 6 to 8 cups of stock in total.)
• Taste the ragù and adjust the seasoning. If you've prepared it in advance, let it cool, then refrigerate and freeze as you wish. Or you can remove about half (for future use) and prepare tagliatelle now, keeping about 3 1/2 cups of freshly cooked sauce in the big saucepan, to dress the pasta.
• To cook the tagliatelle: Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil. Shake the nests of tagliatelle in a colander or strainer to remove excess flour. Drop all the pasta into the pot at once, and stir to loosen and separate the strands. Cover the pot, and return the water to a boil rapidly. Set the cover ajar, and cook the pasta, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes or more, until barely al dente (the pasta will cook a bit more in the pan of sauce).
• Meanwhile, heat the ragù to a simmer. If it has cooled (or been chilled or frozen), it will have thickened, so reheat it slowly in a wide pan, stirring in a cup or so of stock or water, to loosen it.
• Lift the al dente tagliatelle from the cooking pot quickly, with a spider and tongs, drain briefly, and drop the pasta into the simmering ragù. Toss together, over low heat, for a minute or more, until all the strands are coated and perfectly cooked. Thin the sauce, if necessary, with hot pasta water, or thicken it quickly over higher heat.
• Turn off the heat, sprinkle a cup or so of grated cheese over the tagliatelle, and toss well. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, toss again, and heap the pasta in warm bowls. Serve immediately, with more cheese at the table.

TAGLIATELLE WITH A LEMON PORK RAGù

Steps:

• Peel the garlic cloves, cut in half lengthways and remove the green shoot at the centre. Gently warm the garlic and oil in a large frying pan (big enough to toss the pasta in later). As it starts to colour, take off the heat and let the garlic infuse for 5 minutes, then discard it.
• Tip the onion and celery into the garlic scented oil, sprinkle with a little salt and return to a gentle heat. Let them soften, without colouring, for 8-10 minutes. They should sweat rather than fry, so if you hear sizzling add water, a tablespoon at a time.
• Add the pancetta and cook for another 6minutes, adding water as before. Stir in the pork and turn the heat up. Don't colour the meat too much and avoid breaking it up. Add the wine and let it evaporate, then season. Pour in 200ml/7fl oz water, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Mix in a little water if the mixture gets too dry.
• While the ragù is cooking, put a pan with plenty of water on to boil. Grate the Parmesan and the zest from the lemon.
• When the water is at a rolling boil add 2 tsp salt, then the pasta. Partly cover, bring back to the boil, give it a good stir and reduce the heat so the water boils gently. Taste the pasta 2 minutes before the timing on the packet - remember it will keep cooking while it is tossed with the ragù.
• Drain the pasta, reserving some pasta water. Immediately transfer the pasta to the frying pan and toss well over a low heat. Tip in the parmesan and toss well. Add pasta water to dilute, or extra cheese to absorb excess liquid, and mix again.
• Toss in the lemon zest and parsley. Serve immediately.