Ingredients

• 60g/2¼oz butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove
• 60g/2¼oz unsmoked pancetta
• finely chopped
• 1 small onion
• very finely chopped
• 1 carrot
• very finely chopped
• 1 celery stick
• very finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 400g/14oz lean chuck or braising beef
• coarsely minced
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 150ml/5fl oz red wine
• such as Sangiovese or Barbera
• 2 pinches grated nutmeg
• 150ml/5fl oz beef stock
• 150ml/5fl oz whole milk
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• tagliatelle
• to serve

Directions

• Heat the butter and oil in a heavy-based saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute
• then remove it. Add the pancetta and cook for 5 minutes
• stirring often. Add the onion and
• when it begins to soften
• stir in the carrot
• celery and bay. Cook for 10 minutes
• stirring often.
• Add the beef
• turn the heat up to high and cook until medium-brown and nearly crisp
• crumbling it in the pot using a fork. You need a high heat so that the meat browns rather than stews
• but be careful not to let it become too brown and hard.
• Add the tomato purée and cook for 2 minutes. Add the wine
• nutmeg and stock. Bring to the boil
• then turn the heat down to very low
• so that the mixture reduces very slowly.
• Set the lid askew over the pan and cook for about 2 hours
• adding a couple of tablespoons of milk from time to time. By the end all the milk should have been added and absorbed
• and the ragù should be rich with the texture of thick soup.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning. The ragù is now ready. Boil the tagliatelle and serve with the ragù.