Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 3 cups “0” or “00” flour

• 3 large fresh eggs

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• For sauce   - 

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1 carrot

• 1 onion (red or white)

• 1 celery stick

• 1.5 lb ground beef or pork

• 1 cup red wine

• 1/2 cup tomato paste

• 3 cups vegetable stock

Steps

1. Start sauce at least 3 hours before pasta. Finely chop the onion, carrot, and celery (soffritto)

2. Heat up the oil in a large steel pan, medium heat, then add the chopped vegetables and cook for 5/10 minutes adding a bit of vegetable stock.

3. Add the meat, rise the heat and mix the meat carefully so it won’t stick to the bottom of the pan, until it’s browned. 

4. Pour the wine in (still on high heat) and keep mixing until you don’t smell alcohol any more.

5. Reduce the heat to low, then add the tomato paste, and stir will.

6. From this point on, cover the pan, adding stock every time the sauce gets too dry. Don’t cover the meat with the stock, just a bit will be fine!

7. Simmer for 3-4 hours.

8. Place the flour in a pile on a marble or wooden surface. Using your hands, make a well in the middle of the flour, then crack the eggs into the well and add the olive oil and salt.

9. With a fork, lightly whisk the eggs whilst gradually adding flour from the wall of the well. When the mixture has a sticky consistency, begin to knead with your hands.

10. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, adding a sprinkle of flour to the work surface as needed to ensure your dough doesn’t stick.

11. Once your dough is smooth, tightly wrap it in plastic wrap and leave to rest in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.

12. Cut your dough into three even pieces with a sharp knife. Then take one piece and make it circular by hand. Sprinkle some flour on your work surface and using a rolling pin, roll your dough as thinly as possible, and circular in shape. Aim for 3mm in thickness. 

13. Fold your dough over itself into 6cm layers, then using a sharp knife cut it lengthways into strips: 1.5cm for tagliatelle.

14. Repeat the process for the other 2 balls of dough. 

15. Then boil your pasta in salted water for two minutes, until cooked al dente.

16. Saute the pasta in the pan with the Bolognese sauce, adding a bit of parmesan cheese and a touch of olive oil.

From Diadema Cooking School, in Florence, Italy