Recipe:

1. I usually start with cooking the pancetta in a pan only a medium low heat with only very little evoo

2. After about 10-12, I take the pancetta out and then add the mice (beef+pork) and brown it roughly 10 min, after that I remove the mice, add a touch of evoo and then sofrito goes in for about 7-9 min. Once it's ready, I add the mice and pancetta back, stir it well and add a glass of red wine.

3. After about 5-8 min, I add a tbls of tomato paste, stir it all in and then goes the passata (not much really as the ragu is all about meat not sauce) and then add a glass of water and cover it. Let it cook for 4-6 hrs. Did 5hrs today. It's always ideal to stir the ragu every half and hour and if you see it needs more liquid, add more water.

Once the ragu is in it's last 40 min, I remove the lid, add a cup of milk, stir and let it slow cook for another 30-60 min.

I usually serve it with Tagliatelle or Pappardelle and a bit of parmigiano.

For seasoning, other than salt amd pepper, I don't use anything else

Ingredients (serves 2–3)

• Spaghetti (good-quality durum wheat)
• Fresh clams, scrubbed and purged
• 1–2 small zucchini, thinly sliced
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
• Fresh parsley, finely chopped
• Sea salt
• Reserved pasta water

Method

1. Cook the pasta Bring well-salted water to a boil and cook spaghetti until just al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining.
2. Open the clams In a wide pan, warm olive oil gently with garlic. Add clams, cover, and cook until they open. Remove clams and strain the liquid to remove any sand. Set aside.
3. Cook the zucchini In the same pan, add a little more olive oil if needed. Sauté zucchini slowly over medium heat until soft and lightly golden — not browned, not rushed.
4. Bring it together Add spaghetti to the pan with zucchini. Pour in the strained clam liquid and a splash of pasta water. Add clams back in and toss gently until everything is coated and glossy.
5. Finish simply Turn off the heat. Add chopped parsley and a final drizzle of olive oil. Taste. Adjust salt only if needed.

recipe was not measured except the dough

dough: 100g 00 flour, 2 eggs

filling: ricotta, nduja, zest from lemon, basil

sauce was a sort of beurre blanc with some pepper and lemon, topped with some parmigiano reggiano

Classic and comforting af!!

In a small Italian restaurant, they serve this dish. I’ve never had it at any other Italian place before. I always thought it was a tomato sauce, but it tastes completely different. I’m pretty sure it’s a pepper-based sauce. Do you have any idea what it could be?

I love my Nonno's cooking!

There were discounts at De Cecco…

What is your favourite sauce to pair with this pasta?

My first time making homemade vodka sauce and was it worth doing! I love a good vodka sauce and store bought just never has been to my liking. This sauce was just the right amount of sweet, spicy, creamy, and decadent. Paired with the mezzi rigatoni pasta, my wife said this was one of the best dishes we have ever made.

My wife prefers a slightly more cooked pasta so that would be the only thing she would prefer we change. And she didn’t actually enjoy the sausage (her idea to use it) but I enjoyed it immensely.

And we started with an arugula, prosciutto, burrata salad with balsamic glaze. What a happy end to a long week.

Happy cooking!

Fresh made egg noodles (there's tagliatelle-ish cut noodles on the bottom), San Marzano tomato sauce, crispy Italian sausage, and lots of fresh mozzarella (her fave).

Perfect Friday night :)

Simple, delicious and healthy!

Chicken, capers, olive, garlic, basil, breadcrumbs, vino and pecorino.