Pappardelle with Porcini and Veal Bolognese

Heading into the opening of Lilia, I was fresh off of a significant weight loss, which meant meat—particularly beef and pork—were not a huge part of my diet. I’d finished writing the menu and realized that there was not a single meat pasta on it. This was born as a lighter attempt at bolognese, using veal, which is softer and milder than beef or pork, backed up by the earthiness of dried porcini—both the water left over from soaking them and the mushrooms themselves, which get chopped and integrated into the sauce. There is also no milk here, and instead of tomato paste, I use just a splash of tomato juice to ensure that the bouillon-like notes of the porcini and the subtlety of the veal are not masked by too much fat or sweetness. This is a ragù in pursuit of a cleaner profile.

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Step 1

To make the ragù, in a bowl, cover the porcini with cool water and soak for about 5 minutes, sloshing the mushrooms around with your hand a few times to remove dirt and other impurities. Drain the porcini, return them to the bowl, add the room-temperature water, and set aside to soften, 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Step 2

Once the mushrooms are fully hydrated and softened, drain them, reserving the water (you should have about 948g / 4 cups water), and finely chop. Set the mushrooms and soaking water aside separately.

Step 3

While the porcini hydrate, fit your meat grinder with the small die. Core the fennel and remove the fronds and stems. Chop the onion and fennel into ½- to 1-inch pieces. Put the onion, fennel, and garlic through the meat grinder. Once ground, gather them in cheesecloth and wring to squeeze out the liquid. This is your soffritto.

Step 4

Place a heavy sauce pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 28g / 2 Tbsp of the olive oil. Add the veal and sauté, breaking it up with a wooden spoon into small, uniform crumbled pieces, until just cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a bowl and set aside.

Step 5

Turn the heat down to low and add the remaining 112g / ½ cup olive oil, the soffritto, and the porcini to the pot. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until softened but without color, 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 6

Add the wine and cook until almost fully evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Step 7

Return the veal to the pot and add the reserved porcini liquid and the San Marzano juice.

Step 8

Make a sachet with cheesecloth for the bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, sage, coriander seed, and peppercorns. Add to the veal and porcini mixture.

Step 9

Cook the sauce over low heat for 2 to 3 hours. The flavors should be melded and the meat fully softened.

Step 10

Remove from the heat and season with salt q.b. Measure out 606g / 2¼ cups ragù and set aside. Transfer the remainder to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 1 month for another use.

Step 11

To finish, following the instructions for pappardelle on this page, make 624g / 1 lb 6 oz with the pasta dough.

Step 12

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Generously salt the water.

Step 13

Place a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the ragù.

Step 14

Add the pappardelle to the water and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until tender but not soft.

Step 15

Using tongs or a pasta basket, remove the pasta from the pot and transfer to the sauté pan. Turn the heat up to medium. Add the butter and 1 ladle (55g / ¼ cup) pasta cooking water and alternate tossing and folding the pasta and sauce together with a wooden spoon for about 1 minute to marry. If the sauce begins to tighten, add a splash of pasta cooking water to loosen and continue tossing and folding to marry. Add the parsley and fold or toss to integrate. The ragù should nicely coat the pasta without clumping.

Step 16

Divide the pasta into bowls and garnish with the parmigiano and with grated nutmeg and pepper