Tagliatelle with White Meat Sauce

Name: Tagliatelle with White Meat Sauce
Yield: makes about 7 cups, enough for 2 batches (3 pounds) tagliatelle or other pasta
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef; 1 pound ground pork; 1 pound ground veal; 2 medium onions, cut in chunks; 1 medium carrot, cut in chunks; 1 medium stalk celery, cut in chunks; 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 2 tablespoons butter; 4 teaspoons kosher salt; 1 cup white wine; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 1/2 cups whole milk; 6 to 8 cups very hot light stock (chicken, turkey, or vegetable broth) or water; 2 fresh bay leaves; 1 batch (1 1/2 pounds) Homemade Tagliatelle (page 136); 1 cup or so freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for the table; Extra-virgin olive oil for finishing; A food processor; a heavy-bottomed saucepan or braising pan, 12-inch diameter, with a cover

December 9, 2011

In a traditional Ragù alla Bolognese (page 382), the ground meats are slowly cooked with tomatoes and red wine and stock, developing a velvety texture and deep, rich flavor. This “white” ragù streamlines the process and omits most of the tomato, producing a lighter and more delicate sauce with much of the complexity of the classic Bolognese. (And if you want to make it even lighter, you might use ground rabbit meat or turkey or chicken in place of the chopped beef.) Typically used to dress fresh tagliatelle, ragù di carni bianche is also delicious as a sauce for other pastas, lasagna, polenta, and gnocchi. This recipe makes enough sauce to dress two batches of my fresh tagliatelle; use half the sauce for one dinner, and freeze the rest for a great meal to come.

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