Bolognese tagliatelle and puntarelle salad
This pasta dish is slowly cooked over a few hours and finished with double cream for a really rich flavour.
Ingredients
For the bolognese tagliatelle
- butter: 25g/1oz butter
- olive oil: 2 tbsp olive oil
- onion: 1 onion, finely chopped
- carrot: 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- celery: 1 celery stick, finely chopped
- garlic: 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- bouquet garni: 1 bouquet garni (2 bay leaves, 1 celery leaf sprig, 3 thyme sprigs, 4 parsley leaves, stalks, and, if possible, roots too – all tied together with a piece of cheesecloth)
- chicken livers: 75²µ/2¾´Ç³ú chicken livers, rinsed, trimmed and finely chopped
- beef mince: 350g/12oz beef mince
- red wine: 300ml/10fl oz red wine
- tomato purée: 4 tbsp tomato purée
- beef stock: 300ml/10fl oz beef stock
- double cream: 150ml/5fl oz double cream
- black pepper: sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- tagliatelle: 500g/1lb 2oz tagliatelle, to serve
- Parmesan: freshly grated Parmesan, to serve
For the puntarelle salad
- 2 puntarelle heads
- anchovies: 3 salted anchovies, chopped into 1cm/½in pieces
- red wine vinegar: 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- garlic: 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- dried chilli: 1 dried chilli, chopped
- black pepper: 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- olive oil: 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method
To make the bolognese tagliatelle, heat the butter and oil in a deep saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and bouquet garni and fry until softened and lightly browned. Add the liver and cook for about 2 minutes, or until pink.
Add the mince and fry until browned. Add the wine, simmer until it evaporates, then season with salt and pepper. Add the tomato purée and a little of the stock. Cook slowly, covered, stirring occasionally and gradually adding more stock.
After 1½ hours, stir in the cream and continue to cook, uncovered, for about 1 hour, or until reduced. Remove the bouquet garni.
Cook the tagliatelle in a saucepan of salted boiling water according to the packet instructions and drain.
Meanwhile, to make the puntarelle salad, fill a bowl with cold water and add the puntarelle heads. Slice the buds very thinly lengthways and add to the water. Leave to crisp and curl up for 1 hour.
Place the anchovies and vinegar in a bowl and stir until the anchovies dissolve. Add the garlic, chilli and pepper. Leave for 15 minutes and then add the olive oil. Dry the puntarelle and spoon over the anchovy sauce.
Serve the bolognese with the tagliatelle, lots of Parmesan and the puntarelle salad.
