Homemade pappardelle

Method

• step 1

  For the ragu, heat the oil in a casserole or heavy-based, oven-friendly pan and fry the beef in batches until browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside. Tip in the onion, carrot and celery, and fry for 15 minutes until soft and lightly golden. Stir the beef back into the pan with any resting juices. Add the tomato purée, herbs and wine. Bring to a simmer and cook until the liquid has reduced by half, scraping any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Pour in the stock to cover the meat, adding a splash more water if you need to. Cover with a sheet of foil, then put on the lid. Cook for 3-4 hours or until the beef is tender and falling apart. Remove the lid for the final 30 minutes to thicken the sauce if you need to. Shred the meat into the sauce with two forks and remove the herbs.

• step 2

  Meanwhile, make the pasta. Put the flour in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Make a well in the middle and break the eggs into it, whisking with a fork to combine until it forms a rough ball of dough. Tip out and knead on a worksurface for 10-15 minutes or until smooth – add 2-3 tsp of cold water if you need to bring the dough together, but it will be a lot firmer than bread dough and will feel more like fondant icing or playdough. Leave to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, or wrap and chill for 24 hours if making ahead.

• step 3

  Cut the dough into eight equal pieces, then keep covered while you roll them out one at a time. Roll out each on a wellfloured worksurface to a long rectangle about 1-2mm thick – keep moving the pasta to make sure it’s an even thickness. Alternatively, you can run the dough pieces through a pasta machine – if the dough starts to spring back while rolling out, leave covered for a few minutes before rolling out again.

• step 4

  Sprinkle a dusting of flour over the sheet of pasta, then fold the dough over itself 4-6 times to get the pasta sheet small enough for you to cut the whole length with the bench knife. Use a sharp knife to cut into ribbons, 3-4cm wide. Toss the strips in a dusting of flour, shaking out the ribbons, and set aside on floured baking trays, covered, while you roll out the remaining pasta.

• step 5

  Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, and shake off any excess flour from the pasta before lowering into the pan. Cook for 4-6 minutes or until al dente and starting to float to the top. Reserve a cupful of the cooking water before draining. Add a few ladlefuls of the ragu (you may not need it all but any leftovers can be frozen and then eaten within three months) and toss together to coat all the pasta. Serve with a grating of parmesan over the top.