A classic sauce that gets its spiciness from black pepper and dried chillies and a delicious depth of flavour from Guanciale. If you can’t find it, you can easily substitute unsmoked bacon or pancetta. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner and best served with Rigatoni however great with any pasta shape.

Ingredients

25ml x Extra virgin olive oil
125g x Diced guanciale, pancetta or unsmoked bacon
½ x De-seeded red chilli, sliced
¼ tsp x Dried chilli flakes
½ x Diced white onion
1 Small diced carrot
1 Stick of celery diced
2 x Sliced cloves garlic
2 x 400g Good quality tinned tomatoes
360g x Fresh or dried pasta
Pecorino or Parmesan for grating on top

Method 

1. Start by placing your, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, chilli and flakes all in a food processor and pulse
until everything is minced, this is soffritto!!! (if in a rush you can leave your veg diced).

2. Heat a heavy based skillet on a medium high heat, start by rendering your meat until lightly golden,
drain the meat out of the pan using a slotted spoon leaving the fat behind in the pan

3. In the same pan add your soffritto with a pinch of salt cook until softened, 5 to 7 mins. Add your
meat, tinned tomatoes and good extra virgin oil, turn your pan down to a low heat and simmer for
20 – 30 mins until reduced and thick.

4. Whilst the sauce is reducing slowly, bring a pan of salted water up to the boil (it should almost taste like
sea water.) Blanch your fresh pasta for 1 – 2 mins (if dried please be advised by your packet).

5. Drain your pasta through a colander saving yourself a good inch or so of pasta water in the bottom
of the pan.

6. Add the cooked pasta to your sauce and turn up the heat, splash in some of your pasta water
and cook your pasta until the sauce starts to coat and glaze your pasta, season with a touch more salt
and pepper.

7. In the restaurant we finish most of our ragus with a spoonful more of mascarpone and a
squeeze of fresh lemon juice for extra silkiness and zip

8. Serve up and grate cheese generously on top.

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