While on holiday in Italy I also visited Bologna. Of course it is then mandatory to eat tagliatelle alla Bolognese. I've eaten it a few times and noticed that there was a lot of difference in taste; despite the recipe being fixed. Everyone makes their own version of it. And now I have one for the books, so delicious.

It differs slightly from the original but is so good that the purists will probably forgive me.
Normally I say that you should make your own variant, but with this recipe the advice is to follow it exactly. You will not regret it!

I assume everyone knows by now that you eat this with tagliatelle, especially not with spaghetti. The sauce comes into its own with tagliatelle, it is better absorbed.

Tagliatelle alla Bolognese

5.0 from 5 votes

Course: Main dishCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Simple

Portions

persons

Preparation time (indication)

hour

minutes

Ingredients

250 gr fresh tagliatelle
2 lumps butter
10 gr dried porcini mushrooms (porcini)
175 gr minced beef (preferably from beef neck, AH has that; it is nicer to simmer than normal minced meat))
30 gr pancetta in small cubes
30 gr carrots, cut into fine brunoise
30 gr celery, finely chopped
30 gr shallot, finely chopped
75 ml Red wine
75 ml vegetable stock
150 gr canned tomatoes (I prefer San Marzano)
1 twig rosemary
2 twigs thyme
1 bay leaf
Parmesan cheese
Optional: fresh herbs such as basil or finely chopped chives as a garnish

Preparation

Soak the porcini in lukewarm water for half an hour, then strain and keep the soaking liquid. Finely chop the porcini.
Cut the ham slices into small pieces of 0.5 – 1 cm.
Heat a frying pan with a knob of butter and a dash of olive oil over medium heat.
Bake the vegetables, minced meat and ham for about 20 minutes until most of the moisture has evaporated. Stir occasionally.
Deglaze with the wine and let it cook for a while until the wine has largely evaporated.
Tie the rosemary, thyme and bay leaf together with a piece of kitchen twine; you will get it out easier later. This is called a bouquet garnish.
Add the sliced porcini, the soaking liquid and the stock and stir briefly.
Place the bouquet garni on top and put the lid on the pan. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and simmer uncovered for another 20 minutes.
Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Cook the tagliatelle according to the package in well salted water (10gr per litre).
Drain and stir in a knob of butter. Then mix with the ragù.
You don't really finish this dish. You can scoop the pasta with serving tongs where you turn the tongs while serving, then it comes out nicely on the plate. The rest of the sauce can just be added.
Grate some Parmesan cheese over it to taste, sprinkle some fresh herbs over it and serve.
Buon appetito!