Pork & fennel white ragù

Name: Pork & fennel white ragù
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 small pumpkin or squash (700g); 1 onion; 2 sticks of celery; 1 carrot; 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary; 2 cloves of garlic; olive oil; 1 tablespoon fennel seeds; 1 teaspoon dried red chilli flakes; ¼ of a whole nutmeg, for grating; 250g minced pork; 1 x 400g tin of borlotti beans; 300ml whole milk; 20g Italian hard cheese; PASTA; 400g plain flour, plus 50g for dusting; 1 free-range egg

With handmade pappardelle

1 hr

Not Too Tricky

serves 4

About the recipe

My expression of an Italian white ragù is all about turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. I’ve used commonly wasted milk instead of tomato, creating a game-changing creamy sauce that you’re going to love.

nutrition per serving

Calories

37%

Fat

29%

Saturates

35%

Sugars

19%

Salt

23%

Protein

69%

Carbs

42%

Fibre

of an adult’s reference intake

Recipe From

Jamie's Feast For A Fiver

By Jamie Oliver

WATCH THE SHOW

Ingredients

1 small pumpkin or squash (700g)

1 onion

2 sticks of celery

1 carrot

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

2 cloves of garlic

olive oil

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon dried red chilli flakes

¼ of a whole nutmeg, for grating

250g minced pork

1 x 400g tin of borlotti beans

300ml whole milk

20g Italian hard cheese

PASTA

400g plain flour, plus 50g for dusting

1 free-range egg

Method

Carefully cut the ends off the pumpkin, then halve and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds (see tip). Microwave on full power (800W) for 10 to 12 minutes, or until soft, then mash the flesh, discarding the skin.
Meanwhile, peel the onion, trim the celery and scrub the carrot, then finely chop.
Strip the rosemary leaves, peel the garlic and finely chop both. Place a large casserole pan on a medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then add the rosemary, garlic, fennel seeds, chilli flakes and a generous pinch of black pepper.
Add the chopped veg to the pan, grate in the nutmeg and season with sea salt, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.
Meanwhile, make the pasta. Put 400g of flour in a bowl, make a well in the middle and crack in the egg. Add 200ml of water, then using a fork, whip up with the eggs until smooth. Gradually bring the flour in from the outside and mix together as much as possible. When it becomes too hard to mix, get your clean floured hands in there and bring it together into a ball of dough. Knead on a clean, flour-dusted surface for 1 minute, or until smooth and elastic, then leave to relax.
Add the pork mince to the pan, breaking it up with a spoon, turn the heat up to high and fry for 2 minutes. Add the pumpkin, stirring to break it up, then go in with the beans (juice and all).
Pour in the milk, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
On a clean, heavily flour-dusted surface, cut the pasta dough in half, then use a rolling pin to roll both pieces out to about 2mm thick. Roll up the sheets into long sausages, then use a sharp knife to slice them ½cm-thick. Toss it with your hands to separate the strands, shaking off any excess flour.
Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, carefully transfer the pasta to the ragù, tossing to coat. Grate over most of the cheese, transfer to a nice platter, and finish with plenty of black pepper, the remaining cheese, and a drizzle of oil, if you like.

To cut your pasta twice as quickly, roll both pieces of dough out to about 2mm thick. Dust one piece well with flour, then lay the other piece on top. Roll them out together until very thin. Separate the sheets of dough, dust again with flour, then roll up the two sheets into a long sausage. Use a sharp knife to slice them ½cm thick, then toss it with your hands to separate the strands, shaking off any excess flour.

If you don’t have time to make your own pasta, feel free to use the regular dried stuff instead.

Don’t throw your pumpkin or squash seeds away – turn them into a super-tasty snack instead! Pull off any strings of flesh, then rinse, dry and scatter onto a baking tray. Season with sea salt and a spice of your choice, then toss with a drizzle of olive oil and bake at 180ºC for 10 minutes. Delicious!

Tags

Budget-friendly Pasta Pork Fennel Pumpkin Butternut squash Beans Cheese Dinner

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