Pasta with Bolognese ragù

Method

Heap the flour and semolina on a board, make a well in the centre, crack in the eggs and gradually work them into the flour with a fork.
Knead the dough for 10 minutes until smooth, wrap in film and let it rest for 30 minutes.
TipKneading and glutenGluten is the dough's gym: give bread a proper workout, and let sponge cakes and pancakes put their feet up.Why and howShow less
Why
When wheat flour meets water, its proteins gliadin and glutenin link up into gluten, and kneading stretches and aligns these chains into a springy, extensible network. In bread and yeast doughs a strong network is exactly what you want: it traps the gas from fermentation, the dough rises and the crumb is springy. In shortcrust pastry, sponge cake, pancakes or muffins the same network does damage – the result is tough and rubbery, muffins develop tunnels and pastry shrinks in the oven. Fat coats the flour particles and sugar holds on to water, so both hold back gluten formation; that's why such mixtures are only briefly combined and small lumps are left in. Resting relaxes the gluten, so the dough then rolls out more easily and shrinks less.
How to do it
1. Knead bread dough by hand for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic and it stretches into a thin membrane without tearing.
2. Stir pancake and muffin batters only briefly, until no dry flour remains – small lumps are fine.
3. Bring shortcrust together quickly, with cold butter and cool hands, and simply press it into a ball.
4. Fold the flour into a sponge mixture last and gently with a spatula, lifting from the bottom.
5. If dough springs back as you roll it, cover it and let it rest for 10–20 minutes.
If it goes wrong
Wrap overworked pastry and chill it for at least half an hour: the gluten relaxes and the fat firms up, so it shrinks less in the oven, though it will be a little tougher. Let overmixed pancake batter rest for 15–30 minutes before cooking; that will at least ease the toughness. A tough baked sponge or muffin can't be fixed – mix less next time.
Full card
Divide the dough into 4 pieces, roll each with a rolling pin or pasta machine into thin sheets (about 1 mm), dust lightly with semolina, roll up and cut to shape: tagliolini 2–3 mm, tagliatelle 6–8 mm, pappardelle 2–3 cm; shake the ribbons loose.
TipFresh pasta, noodles and spätzleStiff noodle dough needs a rest before it will roll out; thick but flowing spätzle batter, by contrast, is beaten until it forms bubbles.Why and howShow less
Why
Noodle dough is stiff: roughly one egg goes into 100 g of flour, with no or very little water, so the flour absorbs the water slowly and kneading builds a firm gluten network (see the Kneading and gluten card). Straight after kneading the network is tense and the dough springs back and tears when rolled; during 20–30 minutes of rest under film the flour hydrates evenly and the gluten relaxes, so the dough rolls out thin. Uncovered dough and noodles dry out in the air and crack, while too moist ones stick together, which is why they are dusted with semolina or flour. Spätzle batter has more liquid and is thick but flowing; beating develops gluten that holds the drops of batter together in boiling water, and coarser polohrubá flour (see the Czech flour: hladká, polohrubá, hrubá card) absorbs water more slowly, so the spätzle hold their shape better. Fresh pasta is not dried, so it cooks in a few minutes, and egg dough and noodles contain raw egg, so they should not sit in a warm place.
How to do it
1. For egg noodles allow roughly one egg per 100 g of flour; knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, sprinkling crumbly dough with a teaspoon of water.
2. Wrap the dough in film and rest it for 20–30 minutes before rolling; keep the portion you are not working with covered.
3. Dust rolled sheets and cut noodles with semolina or flour and toss them loose so they do not stick together.
4. Beat spätzle batter with a wooden spoon until it forms bubbles and pulls in strands, then let it rest briefly; polohrubá flour gives it firmness.
5. Press spätzle into salted, gently boiling water in batches and lift them out shortly after they float; cook fresh noodles for just 1–3 minutes and taste.
6. Cook fresh noodles the same day, or freeze them spread on a tray and then in a bag; cook them from frozen without thawing.
If it goes wrong
Sprinkle dough that crumbles and will not come together with a teaspoon of water, wrap it and let it rest; work sticky dough with a little flour. Cover dough that springs back when rolled and rest it for another 10–20 minutes. Loosen noodles that have stuck together in the sauce with a little cooking water. Spätzle that fall apart in the water come from batter that is too thin: stir in a spoonful of flour, beat it again and test one batch. Tough, rubbery spätzle come from batter that is too thick or from overcooking; next time add liquid and lift them out sooner.
Full card
Bring 3 litres of water with 20 g salt to the boil, add the pasta and cook until it floats and is al dente: tagliolini 1–2 minutes, tagliatelle 2–3 minutes, pappardelle 3–4 minutes.
TipCooking pastaPasta water isn't waste, it's liquid glue that talks the sauce into clinging to the pasta.Why and howShow less
Why
In the first minutes of boiling, starch is released from the surface of the pasta and it turns sticky; plenty of rapidly boiling water and a stir at that point stop it clumping, and the water doesn't cool down as much when the pasta goes in. Salt only gets into pasta while it cooks, which is why the water is salted generously, roughly 10 g per litre; that amount has a negligible effect on the boiling point, and oil in the water is pointless because it floats on top and doesn't prevent sticking. The cooking water is full of dissolved starch that thickens the sauce and helps its fat combine with water into a smooth emulsion that clings to the pasta. That is why pasta isn't rinsed after draining – you would wash off the starch the sauce holds on to and cool the pasta down; the only exception is pasta for a cold salad.
How to do it
1. Allow roughly a litre of water per 100 g of pasta and add about 10 g of salt per litre once it boils.
2. Drop the pasta into rapidly boiling water and stir now and then for the first two minutes.
3. Don't add oil to the water; it won't stop sticking.
4. Cook a minute or two less than the packet says and keep tasting.
5. Before draining, scoop out a mugful of the cooking water.
6. Don't rinse the pasta; transfer it straight into the sauce and finish cooking it there with a little of the cooking water.
If it goes wrong
Loosen pasta that has stuck together in the sauce with a little hot cooking water, or dip it briefly in boiling water and stir. Overcooked pasta won't firm up again – bake it or add it to a soup, and next time start tasting earlier. Under-salted pasta can only be rescued by a well-seasoned sauce.
Full card
Drain the pasta, do not use the drained water as sauce, and serve in 180 g portions.

Alternative: Potato gnocchi (gnocchi di patate)

Method

Boil the potatoes in their skins in unsalted water (or steam them) for 30–40 minutes until a knife slides in without resistance. Drain and let them steam dry for a minute.
Peel the potatoes while still hot (hold them with a fork or cloth) and press them through a ricer onto a floured board. Spread them out and let the steam escape for 2–3 minutes.
Sprinkle most of the flour over the potatoes and work it in briefly by hand just until you have a smooth, soft, slightly sticky dough; do not knead for long, or the dough will toughen and the gnocchi turn hard. Keep the rest of the flour for dusting.
TipPotato dough: dumplings, noky, gnocchiPotato dough wants dry, cooled potatoes, just enough flour to hold, and quick hands: kneading and standing make it slack and sticky.Why and howShow less
Why
A cooked potato is a cluster of cells full of swollen starch (see the Mashed potatoes card); when long kneading or blending ruptures the cells, the released starch forms a sticky mass with the water from the potatoes, more flour then gets added, and the dumpling turns out tough and gummy. Floury potatoes of cooking type C, or B, have more starch and less water and give a supple dough with less flour, whereas watery waxy potatoes of type A thin the dough; that is why the potatoes are boiled in their skins or baked and left to steam off and cool before use. Finished dough softens and gets sticky as it stands, and the more flour then goes in, the tougher the dumpling, so it is worked quickly and cooked at once. In the water it keeps its shape when the water only simmers and the surface sets quickly, whereas a hard boil and long cooking wear the surface away and the dumpling or gnocchi falls apart. Green patches, eyes and sprouts of potatoes contain bitter, toxic glycoalkaloids (solanine), so the German BfR advises removing them generously.
How to do it
1. Choose floury potatoes of type C, or B; boil them in their skins or bake them, peel and let them steam off and cool, even a day ahead in the fridge.
2. Cut out green patches and eyes generously; do not use green, shrivelled or heavily sprouted potatoes, or potatoes that taste bitter.
3. Grate the potatoes finely or put them through a ricer, do not blend them; add egg, salt and flour and bring the dough together quickly, just until smooth and holding its shape.
4. Add the flour gradually: first cook one small test dumpling or gnocchi and add more flour only if it falls apart.
5. Cook shaped dumplings and gnocchi at once, in small batches, in salted, gently simmering water; lift gnocchi out shortly after they float.
6. Take a cooked dumpling out at once, pierce it and slice it with thread or a sharp knife; move gnocchi straight into the sauce or melted butter so they do not stick together.
If it goes wrong
Firm up sticky dough with only a small amount of flour or semolina and shape it at once, as more kneading makes it worse. If the test dumpling falls apart, add a little flour or egg; if a whole dumpling falls apart in the water, cook the rest of the dough as small gnocchi or fry it as pancakes. Tough, gummy dumplings will not soften again: slice and fry them in butter, perhaps with eggs or cabbage, and next time use less flour and knead less.
Full card
Divide the dough, roll each piece into a rope about 2 cm thick and cut it into 2–3 cm pieces. Roll each piece with your thumb over the back of a fork or the coarse side of a grater so it gets ridges and a dimple.
Bring 4 litres of water with 40 g of salt to the boil and cook the gnocchi in batches. As soon as they rise to the surface (after about 1–2 minutes), lift them out with a slotted spoon and toss them with the sauce at once.

Ingredients

Display quantities

400 gBeef, ground, 85% lean meat / 15% fat, raw (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)
150 gPork, cured, bacon, unprepared
60 gOnions, raw
60 gCarrots, raw
60 gCelery, raw
2 15 ml tablespoonOil, olive, salad or cooking
100 mlAlcoholic beverage, wine, table, red
20 gTomato products, canned, paste, without salt added (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)
200 gTomato products, canned, puree, without salt added
100 mlMilk, whole, 3.25% milkfat, with added vitamin D
300 mlSoup, stock, beef, home-prepared
3 gSalt, table
0.6 gSpices, pepper, black

Method

Chop the pancetta finely with a knife. Chop the onion, carrot and celery as finely as possible with a knife (not in a food processor, which would make the vegetables watery and mushy).
In a heavy-based pot (ideally cast iron or earthenware) heat the oil with the pancetta and let it melt over low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the vegetables and soften them slowly for 8–10 minutes, stirring now and then; they must not brown.
Add the minced beef, raise the heat and cook, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes until the released juices have evaporated and the meat sizzles and browns lightly.
Pour in the wine and let it evaporate completely, stirring, for about 5 minutes.
TipReducing a sauceReduction boils off the water but keeps the salt: a sauce that was just right can easily end up as brine.Why and howShow less
Why
When you reduce a sauce, simmering it uncovered, water evaporates while flavour compounds, sugars, gelatin from meat and bones and salt stay in the pan, so they become concentrated and the sauce thickens. If you salt it at the start and then reduce it by half, it will be roughly twice as salty – which is why seasoning is adjusted at the end. The brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan or roasting tin after searing or roasting (the fond) are among the tastiest parts of a sauce: poured over with stock, wine or water and scraped up, they dissolve into the sauce – this is called deglazing. A gentle simmer is enough; at a hard boil the sauce easily scorches at the edges and on the bottom, and if it contains a lot of sugar or gelatin it reduces into a sticky mass.
How to do it
1. Cook uncovered in a wider pan so the water evaporates faster.
2. Salt only at the end, once the sauce has the thickness you want.
3. Pour hot stock, wine or water over the fond and scrape it off the bottom with a wooden spoon; leave out black, burnt bits, they would make the sauce bitter.
4. Keep only a gentle simmer and stir now and then, especially at the bottom and the edges.
5. Test the thickness on a spoon: the sauce should coat it thinly; bear in mind it will thicken further as it cools.
If it goes wrong
An oversalted sauce can only be saved by diluting it: add unsalted stock, water or cream and bring the thickness back with a short simmer. Thin a sauce that is too thick or sticky with a little hot water. Pour a scorched sauce into a clean pan at once without scraping the bottom; if it already tastes burnt, it can't be saved.
Full card
Stir in the tomato paste and the passata, cover with a lid and let the ragù barely bubble over very low heat for 2 hours (up to 3 hours if you like). Whenever it starts to dry out, add a ladleful of stock. After about an hour, stir in the milk and let it be absorbed and evaporate during the rest of the cooking. Finally season with salt and pepper. The finished ragù is thick and dark reddish brown, with fat on the surface.
TipTomatoes, tomato paste and acidityTomatoes have character: raw paste is sharp and sour, but a few minutes in fat give it a rounded flavour.Why and howShow less
Why
Tomato paste is concentrated tomato flesh with plenty of sugars and acids; briefly fried in fat, some of the sugars brown and the raw, sharply sour taste turns full and rounded, but it must be stirred, because it scorches easily on a dry pan base. Long simmering, fat, cream or a little sugar soften a sharp sauce; sugar doesn't neutralise the acid, though, it only balances it on the palate. Baking soda really does neutralise acid, but in tests it made the sauce taste flat, and larger amounts foam and taste soapy, so a pinch at most. Acid firms up the cell walls of vegetables and pulses, so beans, chickpeas and potatoes soften more slowly in tomato sauce. Acidic food doesn't belong in uncoated aluminium: the German BfR advises against cooking or storing acidic and salty food, such as tomato purée, in uncoated aluminium pots, because aluminium migrates into it; with cast iron, manufacturers say long cooking of acidic food strips the protective seasoning.
How to do it
1. Stir the paste into hot fat and fry it for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until it darkens and smells sweet; then add liquid at once.
2. Simmer a sour sauce for longer and round it off with fat or cream; add sugar little by little and taste.
3. Use baking soda only as an exception, a pinch per pot at most, and let it fizz out before tasting.
4. Cook beans, chickpeas and potatoes until tender first, or allow longer cooking in the sauce – see the Cooking pulses card.
5. Cook and store tomato sauces in stainless steel, enamel or glass, not in uncoated aluminium or new, lightly seasoned cast iron.
If it goes wrong
Paste that has scorched on the base won't lose that taste: pour the sauce into a clean pot without scraping and start again with a fresh batch. An overly sour sauce is saved by longer simmering, a knob of butter or a spoonful of cream. Dilute a sauce that tastes soapy after soda with canned tomatoes and leave the soda out next time.
Full card

A dash means the value is unknown, not zero. Salt is calculated from sodium (g salt = mg sodium × 2.5 / 1000) and includes sodium from all ingredients.

Calculation limitations

Nutrition is a calculated estimate, not a laboratory measurement.
Some ingredient quantities use documented estimates or household-measure assumptions.
The number of servings is an editorial estimate (midpoint of the source range or based on the dish type and energy).
Some specific ingredients are represented by the closest generic food with the same culinary function.
Fibre, saturated fat and sodium of cooked ingredients are estimated from the consumed ingredient amounts; for drained ingredients, sodium is included only where the retained amount is an explicit editorial estimate.
Alcohol remaining after cooking is estimated from USDA retention factors by cooking method and time; energy excludes the evaporated alcohol.
Some process effects could not be resolved in this calculation.
Menu nutrition is the sum of its component recipes, each scaled to one menu portion.

Pasta with Bolognese ragù

Fresh egg pasta traditional

Ingredients

Method

Potato gnocchi (gnocchi di patate)

Ingredients

Method

Bolognese ragù (ragù alla bolognese)

Ingredients

Method

Allergens

Nutrition per menu portion

Per serving

Per 100 g