Tagliatelle with pork cheek ragù

Ingredients

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• 650 g pork cheeks (or beef cheeks)
• 450 g fresh egg pasta (we use tagliatelle)
• 1 onion
• 1 large carrot or 2 small carrots
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 glass good-quality red wine (250 ml)
• 1 glass water (250 ml)
• 30 g tomato paste
• 80 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig rosemary, fresh or dried
• Wheat flour, for dusting
• Salt and ground pepper

Method

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1. 1Chop the vegetables. Finely chop the onion. Peel the carrots and cut them into small dice. Remove the celery leaves and chop the stalk.
2. 2Brown the cheeks. Season the cheeks with salt and pepper on both sides, then coat them in flour, shaking off any excess. Heat the oil in the pot over medium heat, brown the cheeks one at a time on both sides, and set aside.
3. 3Make the soffritto. In the same oil, gently fry the vegetables with a pinch of salt and the chopped garlic for about 5 minutes, until their moisture has cooked off.
4. 4Simmer. Return the cheeks to the pot with the rosemary, bay leaf, red wine and tomato paste, then pour in the glass of water to cover. In a pressure cooker, cook over medium heat for 30 minutes once the pressure indicator rises. In a regular pot, cook for an hour and a half.
5. 5Check the meat. Once the cooker has cooled, open it and check the meat: it should pull apart easily. Reduce the sauce if needed. Transfer the ragù to the frying pan you'll use to toss the pasta, and adjust the salt and pepper.
6. 6Cook and toss the pasta. Cook the pasta in plenty of water with a handful of salt for the time stated on the packet, reserving a little cooking water. Toss it with the ragù until well combined, adding a little of that water if it seems dry, and serve.