Tagliatelle with Veal and Cinnamon
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Ingredients Serve 6 - Prep Time 1- hour
- 30g butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- ½ a small carrot, finely chopped
- ½ stick celery, finely chopped
- 450g veal mince
- 375ml dry white wine
- 1 cup tinned Italian peeled tomatoes, pureed
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 medium eggplant
- olive oil, for frying
-
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
- parmesan, freshly grated
- parsley, finely chopped
Method
In a medium pot over low heat, melt the butter and olive oil. Gently cook the onion, carrot and celery until soft and lightly coloured (about 10-12 minutes).
Turn the heat to high and add the veal mince. Cook, stirring until the veal is no longer raw and there is no liquid in the bottom. Add half the wine and reduce before adding the rest, along with the pureed tomatoes, cinnamon stick and cloves. Season with salt and pepper and add enough water to just cover the sauce. Turn the heat to low and simmer gently, covered, for 45 minutes.
In the meantime, cut the eggplant into two-centimetre cubes, lightly salt and leave for 15 minutes. Rinse the eggplant pieces and pat dry, then fry, until golden brown, in a pan with enough olive oil to come 1cm up the sides.
Add the sliced garlic and fried eggplant to the ragu and cook for 10
minutes. The veal should be tender and the sauce should have a thick, wet
consistency (this is especially important if using fresh pasta, which will
absorb some of the liquid); you may need to top up the water a little.
Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves (if you can find them). Check the
seasoning and adjust if necessary.
To Serve
Toss with cooked tagliatelle or linguine and finish with a sprinkle of parmesan and chopped parsley.Place this dish in the middle of the table alongside a juicy medium bodied wine, just like the First Drops 'Big Blind' Nebbiolo, Barbera!!!