Clodagh McKenna's Ragu Bolognese with pappardelle

Curling up on the couch with a big bowl of delicious ragu Bolognese and catching up on the second season of Big Little Lies is my idea of heaven right now, with the weather like it is. This ragu recipe is from when I lived in northern Italy, made, like the locals do, with half pork and half beef. Ground beef by itself makes for a coarse, chunky sauce, and adding the pork makes it sweeter and fattier. It also gives the dish a finer texture.

If you have the time, lower the heat when simmering the sauce and let it cook for as long as you can — the longer you leave it, the more tender and flavoursome it will be. Fennel seeds are a delicious addition, too: tip in a teaspoon when sweating the vegetables, they give a lovely aniseed flavour.

I always double up this recipe as it freezes so well. It’s perfect served with pappardelle, linguine or spaghetti — but also beautiful spooned over a baked potato. Even more comforting that way, too.

Serves: 6

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Serve with: Berry Brothers Extra Ordinary Claret, £16, bbr.com

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

1 carrot, finely diced

½ celery stick, finely diced

4 garlic cloves, crushed

500g minced beef

500g minced pork

400ml red wine

600g tin chopped

tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato purée

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

800g pappardelle

100g Parmesan cheese, grated

Sea salt, freshly ground black pepper

1. Place a casserole dish over a medium heat and add the oil.

2. Stir in the onion, carrot, celery and garlic, and cook for five minutes or until softened. Stir in the beef and pork, season with salt and pepper. Cook, still stirring occasionally, until the meat has browned.

3. Pour in the wine and leave to simmer for about five minutes.

4. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato purée, dried oregano and nutmeg, season with salt and pepper and mix well. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer for at least an hour, but cooking for longer is always better. Add a little water if the sauce starts getting too thick.

5. Put a large saucepan of salted water over a high heat and bring to the boil. Tip in the pappardelle and continue to stir for two minutes. Cook until al dente and drain, reserving two tablespoons of cooking water.

6. Return the pasta to the saucepan, off the heat, and stir in the cooking water followed by the ragu.

7. Serve with grated Parmesan sprinkled over the top.