Tuscan pork ragù with pappardelle

Serves - 4 to 6

You’ll need

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 700g pork mince
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 celery stick, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 rosemary sprigs, leaves finely chopped
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 150ml red wine
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 300ml chicken or pork stock
• 300g pappardelle
• 40g Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
• Small handful flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Brown the pork properly

Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a large frying pan, sauté pan or casserole over a medium-high heat. Add the pork mince and cook for 8–10 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon, until properly browned and catching a little in places. You want real colour here, not pale mince simply going through the motions. Once browned, lift it out into a bowl and set aside.

2. Start the base

Add the remaining olive oil to the pan, then add the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt. Cook over a medium heat for 6–8 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, rosemary and fennel seeds and cook for another minute, just until fragrant and smelling as though things are heading somewhere useful.

3. Build the ragù

Stir in the tomato purée and cook for a minute or two so it loses its raw edge. Pour in the red wine and let it bubble for 2–3 minutes, scraping up anything caught on the bottom of the pan. Return the browned pork to the pan, then add the chopped tomatoes and stock. Season with black pepper and a little salt, then bring everything up to a gentle simmer.

4. Let it cook down properly

Lower the heat and let the ragù simmer gently for 45–50 minutes, stirring now and then, until rich and thickened. It should feel properly savoury and spoonable, not loose and watery. If it starts to look too thick before it is ready, add a small splash more stock or water.

5. Get the pasta on

Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil and cook the pappardelle until al dente. Before draining, save a mug of the pasta water. That little bit of foresight nearly always turns out to be worthwhile.

6. Bring it all together

Add the drained pappardelle to the ragù along with the Parmesan and most of the parsley. Toss everything together over a low heat, adding a splash of the pasta water if needed so the sauce clings nicely to the pasta rather than sitting in clumps. You want glossy ribbons well coated in ragù, not something dry and stubborn.

7. Serve

Divide between warm bowls and finish with the remaining parsley, extra Parmesan and a final grind of black pepper. Serve straight away while the sauce is rich, the pasta is still silky and everything feels exactly as it should.

A couple of helpful notes
- A mix of pork mince and a little crumbled fennel sausage works very well if you want to push the Tuscan feel a little further.
- If you have time, the ragù benefits from a little rest before serving. Like many slow-cooked sauces, it settles into itself rather nicely.
- A simple bitter leaf salad on the side would not hurt at all if you want something fresh to cut through the richness.