Ingredients

• 1 kg beef chuck, large cubeschuck, shin, or a mixture of both
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onionfinely diced
• 1 carrotfinely diced
• 1 celery stalkfinely diced
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 400 g canned tomatoes
• 300 ml red wine or extra beef stock
• 400 ml beef stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 60 g butter
• 500 g pappardellewide egg ribbons, to carry the sauce
• 80 g Parmesan
• 1 1/2 tsp fine salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. 01

   Brown the beef hard

   Season the 1 kg beef and brown it in the oil in a heavy casserole over high heat, in three or four batches, 3-4 minutes each, until deeply dark. Push it further than feels comfortable. That crust is the backbone of the finished sauce. Set aside.

   2 tbsp olive oil

2. 02

   Sweat the soffritto

   Lower the heat to medium-low and cook the finely diced onion, carrot and celery in the same pan for 12-15 minutes, until soft and sweet with no raw edge. Rushing this leaves a harsh note that three hours of braising will not remove.

3. 03

   Darken the puree

   Add the garlic cloves and the tomato puree and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until the puree turns from red to brick and begins to catch on the base.

   3 garlic cloves · 2 tbsp tomato puree

4. 04

   Deglaze and braise

   Pour in the wine and scrape the base clean, then let it bubble for 3-4 minutes to cook off the alcohol. Add the tomatoes, stock, the bay leaves and the beef with its juices. Bring to a bare simmer, cover, and cook at 160 C / 140 C fan for about 2.5 hours, until the beef shreds under a fork.

   300 ml red wine or extra beef stock · 400 g canned tomatoes · 400 ml beef stock · 2 bay leaves

5. 05

   Shred and reduce

   Lift the beef out and shred it coarsely. Forks, not a blender, so you keep the texture. Return it to the pan and simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 10-20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick and glossy and no longer watery around the edges. Taste and season: a long braise needs more salt at the end than you expect.

   Forks, not a blenderA blender turns ragu into paste and you lose the strands that make it feel slow-cooked.

   Reduce after shreddingThe beef releases liquid as it breaks up. Reduced too early, the sauce ends up loose again.

6. 06

   Brown the butter

   Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat for 4-6 minutes, swirling, until the milk solids are hazelnut brown and it smells nutty. Take it off the heat immediately.

   60 g butter

7. 07

   Dress the pasta in two stages

   Cook the pappardelle in well-salted water until just al dente, reserving a mugful of the water. Toss the drained pasta first with the brown butter and half the 80 g Parmesan, so every ribbon is coated, and only then fold through the ragu with a splash of pasta water.

   500 g pappardelle · 80 g Parmesan

8. 08

   Serve

   Serve straight away in warmed bowls. Cold china pulls the heat out of pasta faster than anything else and the butter in the sauce will set and go greasy. Twist each portion into a loose nest with tongs so the ribbons stay separate, then finish with the remaining Parmesan and plenty of coarsely ground black pepper.