Classic Ragu Sauce. The Chiappas.

Classic Ragu Sauce | The Chiappas
Welsh-Italian chef Michela Chiappa.
The best Ragu Sauce to my taste!

The real secret to this dish is simmering for 3 hours. It changes the taste as the meat is soft and tender and no tinned tomatoes are needed!

PREPARATION TIME: 30 mins
COOKING TIME: 3 hours
SERVES: 10

Ingredients:
100g smoked pancetta, roughly chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 sticks celery, peeled and finely chopped
1kg good-quality beef mince
Good glug of red wine
140g tomato purée
2 beef stock cubes
2 bay leaves
Parmesan, to serve
Extra virgin olive oil

Method:
Put a large pan on a medium heat.
Once hot add the smoked pancetta and fry for 2-3 minutes on a low heat, or until starting to crisp up.
Then add the red onion, carrot and celery.
Stir together and sweat for roughly 10 minutes with lid on, or until soft and translucent.
Next add your beef to the pan, stirring occasionally until the beef has browned.
Add a good swig of red wine and keep stirring.
The aim is to burn off the alcohol leaving just a hint of the lovely wine flavour.
Add the tomato purée and stir into the sauce, then add 500ml (OR LESS!) of boiling water from the kettle and crumble in the beef stock cubes and the bay leaves.
Put the lid on and simmer for 3 hours to let the flavours intensify and the beef break down.

To serve the dish:
When ready to cook the pasta, place a large casserole dish on the heat and fill with boiling water and a generous pinch of salt.
Cook the pasta for approximately 2 minutes (although this will depend on the thickness of your pasta).
Always taste it and you want it soft but ‘al dente,’ which means the pasta will have a subtle bite to it.
It should not turn to mush as this is overcooked.
To serve place the pasta in a pan with the hot sauce.
You should only use 1-2 tablespoons of sauce per portion – don’t overload the sauce; the pasta should not be swimming in bolognaise!
Mix the pasta and sauce on the heat so that the sauce coats the pasta.
Add a splash of pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce and finish with a grating of parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Serve immediately to avoid the pasta overcooking!

Cook’s tips:
You can use dried pasta with this sauce if you don’t have time to make fresh pasta.
Simply use about 1kg of pasta for 8-10 people.
This recipe works brilliantly with tagliatelle.
Avoid using spaghetti as a wider pasta holds the sauce better.
This recipe is fantastic to make in a large batch and then freeze in individual portions – it takes time to make a really tasty ragu so it’s worth making lots so you can enjoy after a hard day’s work!
Heat the sauce from frozen.
Always taste as you go for seasoning – we love lots of parmesan as this avoids having to use too much salt.
But before you mix your pasta into your sauce, check it for salt, pepper and parmesan.

Also:
- MARCELLA HAZAN'S BOLOGNESE SAUCE recipe | Epicurious.com

Super Moist Carrot Cake.

... with Cream Cheese Frosting. (if You like)

Serves: 8

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Oven Temperature: 180° C

Lasagna. (The Chiappas.)

Classic Lasagna | The Chiappas:
Miki shared her favourite recipes for Britain's top ten Italian dishes.
Preparation time: 90 mins
Cooking time: 90 mins
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:

Basic egg pasta dough made with 200g flour, 2 eggs and a pinch of salt OR 1 store bought packet of pre-cooked lasagne sheets
50g smoked pancetta, roughly chopped
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
fine salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g good-quality beef mince
1⁄2 a wine glass of red wine
2 tablespoons tomato purée
1 x 400g tin good-quality chopped tomatoes
1 organic beef stock cube 1 dried bay leaf
1 x quantity of white sauce
a splash of milk, if needed
75g freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve

Melanzane Parmigiana. Parmesan aubergine.

Calories 280 kcal
By The Chiappas:
Ingredients
1kg aubergine, sliced thinly lengthways
fine salt
5 tablespoons olive oil
400g freshly grated mozzarella cheese
100g freshly grated Parmesan cheese

For the tomato sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves of gralic, peeled
fine salt and freshly ground black pepper
optional: 1⁄2 a wine glass of red or white wine
2 x 400g tins good-quality chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato purée
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 organic vegetable stock cube
Method:
Place a layer of aubergine slices on a plate. Sprinkle with salt and cover with kitchen paper. Continue with another layer on top until you have used up all the aubergine slices, finishing with kitchen paper. Weigh the aubergines down using something heavy, like a saucepan filled with water, and leave for 30 minutes so that the aubergine can release its bitter juices.
While the aubergines are realeasing their bitter juices make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and fry the onion for about 4 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic to the onion and cook for 30 seconds; be careful not to let it burn. Pour in the wine, if using, and keep stirring for 2 minutes. The aim is to burn off the alcohol, leaving just a hint of the lovely wine flavour.
Stir in the tomatoes, tomato purée, sugar, cayenne pepper and stock cube. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Add salt and pepper to season to taste
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4.
Brush each aubergine slice with a little oil and heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the aubergine, a few slices at a time, until cooked through and golden on both sides. Add a little more oil to the pan if needed. Place the aubergine on some kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.
Cover the bottom of a 30cm x 20cm baking dish with 2 tablespoons of the sauce. Top with a layer of aubergine and lightly spread with 4 tablespoons of sauce. Sprinkle generously with mozzarella and Parmesan. Repeat these layers (aubergine, sauce, mozaralla, and Parmesan) until you have used all the aubergine, finishing with a layer of sauce and Parmesan (no mozzarella).
Cook in the oven for 40 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.

Tip: To make this dish quicker to assemble, we like to prepare our aubergines and fry them the day before as well as the tomato sauce, so that when it comes to cook the dish, all you have to do is layer it up

My Borsch recipe.

Borsch Soup.
Put the kettle on, 800ml boiled water,
1/2 Veg stock cube + 1/2 Beef stock cube.
2 small potatoes: 1 cut into cubes, 1 whole, put in simmering bulion for 10 min.
Meanwhile:
1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 beetroot shredded in food processor.
Fry vegetables in a pan with a tablespoon of oil or butter.
Put in simmering bulion for another 10 min.
Add any processed or fresh tomato: 2-3 full tablespoons.
Add 1/4 small white cabbage shredded in processor - simmering another 5min.
In a small saucer put 3-4 chopped cloves of garlic + 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika + 1 Bay leaf and add in soup after test potato for readiness.
After 5 seconds switch off heat and do not open lid for 15min.
After 15min soup is ready to eat!
Add a little dill to garnish when serving.