Culinary Corner: Jamie Oliver’s Tagliatelle Bolognese

Jamie’s Italian is carb heaven on earth – or as is the case on Royal Caribbean‘s foodie-favourite fleet – at sea. We’re missing pasta with an ocean view and waiters that know to ignore us the first time we say ‘that’s enough parmesan’. Because there is no such thing as enough parmesan.

Here’s how you can recreate one of the most popular Italian dishes at sea, at home.

(Don’t forget the parmesan…)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 stick of celery
• Olive oil
• 125g tomato purée
• 60ml red wine
• 30g pancetta
• 250g quality minced beef
• 250g minced pork shoulder and belly
• 30g mortadella (no nuts)
• 2 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes
• 380g tagliatelle
• 4 sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Parmesan cheese

METHOD

1. Peel and finely chop the onion and carrot, then trim and finely chop the celery.
2. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat, add the chopped vegetables and cook gently for 10 minutes, or until softened.
3. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for five minutes, then pour in the wine and allow it to bubble away until reduced by half.
4. Finely chop the pancetta, then add it to another large pan over a medium heat with the minced meat. Cook for five minutes, or until browned all over, breaking it up with a wooden spoon – don’t overdo it too much at this point.
5. Add the browned meat to the softened vegetables, chop and add the mortadella, then stir well.
6. Tip in the tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon, then cook for two-to-three hours over a low heat, or until softened and the sauce is thickened and reduced. Season to taste.
7. Cook the tagliatelle in a large pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions until almost al dente – it’ll continue cooking in the sauce so it’s important you don’t overdo it.
8. Reserving a cupful of the cooking water, drain and add the pasta to the Bolognese. Toss well and cook for a further 2 minutes, adding a splash of the cooking water if needed.
9. Finely chop and stir through the parsley leaves, then serve with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a good grating of parmesan.