Garganelli with ragu Bolognese

Instructions

1. To shape the garganelli, lay out the pasta sheets on a lightly floured bench and cut into 4 cm (1½ inch) squares. Place a pasta square on the ribbed wooden board, then wrap the pasta around the dowel diagonally as you roll it across the board, pressing firmly at the join. Pull the pasta off the dowel and set aside on a semolina dusted surface. Repeat until all the garganelli are made, then leave to dry for 3–4 hours.
2. In the meantime, make the ragu Bolognese. Place a large heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and both meats and brown for about 5 minutes, or until it starts caramelising, breaking it up as it cooks – a whisk is good for this. If your pan isn’t big enough to hold it all comfortably, do this in two batches. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon, so the rendered fat stays in the pan, and set aside.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the pan and cook slowly until soft, at least 5 minutes – you may need to add a little more oil, depending on how much fat has rendered from the meat. Return the meat to the pan, stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2–3 minutes, then pour in the wine, stirring to deglaze, and simmer until almost completely evaporated.
4. Wrap the cloves, thyme and bay leaf in a piece of muslin (cheesecloth) and tie with string. Add this to the pan and pour in the stock, then season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and let the ragu simmer over low heat for 45 minutes–1 hour, stirring occasionally and adding more stock if it gets too dry.
5. Cook the garganelli in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente, about 3–4 minutes, depending on how long the pasta has been drying for. Meanwhile, spoon a third of the ragu into a large frying pan and bring to a simmer. Drain the pasta and add it to the frying pan, then toss until it is well coated with the ragu. Serve in warmed bowls, with a generous amount of olive oil, cracked black pepper and parmesan.

• I choose the meat for this ragu with the same level of scrutiny and care as I do when choosing a steak. With ready minced meat, the flavour will vary, and if the fat content is too low it can be very dry by the time you’ve cooked your ragu. By mincing it myself, I can regulate both the cut of meat and the texture of the mince. At home, I use the coarse metal plate of the food grinder attachment on my KitchenAid mixer. It takes a few minutes and is time well spent, but if you can’t or don’t want to do the mincing yourself, just order the same cuts from your butcher and ask them to coarsely mince the meat for you.
• The ragu makes more than you need for two people – in fact, it will serve six generously – but the rest will last in the fridge for 3–4 days, or in the freezer for at least a month. If, on the other hand, you’re cooking for more than two, you could increase the quantity of pasta accordingly and then complete the dish in several pans, unless you have a really large pan that will comfortably fit the amount of pasta and sauce so they can be tossed and emulsified properly.
• Traditionally garganelli is shaped using a ‘pettine’ pasta comb and a pencil-like wooden stick. I use a ribbed gnocchi board, along with a dowel about 5 mm (¼ inch) in diameter that was part of a set of rolling pins for pasta making.