Fettuccine Bolognese with pangrattato
Smarten-up your spag bol with an easy pangrattato topping – it might sound fancy but it's just fried breadcrumbs flavoured with rosemary and garlic. Ideal for a low-key dinner party.
Ingredients
For the Bolognese
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium–large brown onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
- small bunch of fresh basil, leaves and stalks separated, both finely chopped
- 1 whole dried bird’s-eye chilli (optional)
- 3–4 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 500g/1lb 2oz beef mince (20% fat)
- 190ml/6¾fl oz red wine, such as merlot
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 chicken stock pot
- 400g/14oz passata
- 320–480g/11½oz–1lb 1oz dried fettuccine
- 2 tbsp mascarpone
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- grated Parmesan, to serve (optional)
For the pangrattato
- 75g/2¾oz good-quality, day-old white bread
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, bruised
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
To make the Bolognese, heat the oil in a large non-stick frying or sauté pan. When hot, gently fry the onion, carrots and celery for around 8–10 minutes until softened.
Add the basil stalks to the pan for a few minutes, then add the chilli and garlic. Fry for 1–2 minutes and then transfer all of the vegetables to a plate.
Turn the heat up and add the beef mince to the pan. Cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently until nicely browned (you may need to do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan). Add the vegetables back to the pan, reduce the heat a little and stir for a couple of minutes. Pour in the red wine and increase the heat to burn off the alcohol.
Add the tomato purée to the pan and fry for a few minutes. Make the chicken stock by combining the stock pot with 500ml/18fl oz boiling water. Stir the passata and chicken stock into the pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer uncovered for 40–45 minutes until you have a rich, thick sauce.
Meanwhile, make the pangrattato. Tear the bread into rough chunks and add to a food processor. Pulse until you have coarsely ground breadcrumbs. In a frying pan, heat the oil then add the breadcrumbs, rosemary and garlic. Fry for a few minutes until golden brown and crisp and season generously with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, discard the garlic cloves and set aside.
When the Bolognese sauce is nearly cooked, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and cook the pasta for 10–12 minutes or according to packet instructions. Drain.
Once the Bolognese sauce is cooked, stir in the mascarpone. Stir the basil leaves into the sauce. Check the seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper, if desired. Leave to simmer gently for a further couple of minutes. Remove the dried chilli.
To serve, stir the sauce into the pasta and divide between serving bowls. Scatter with the pangrattato and a little grated Parmesan, if using.
Recipe Tips
In the programme the contestants had to make their own pasta, but we've used dried fettucine to make it easier to cook at home. If you want to make your own pasta, here's a fresh pasta recipe to try.
