Pappardelle with Autumnal White Ragù and California Prunes

This delicious pasta dish is stunning to look at, and even better to taste! Rich and full of flavour, whether you’re sharing with friends or family – nobody will leave the table unsatisfied. This is without a doubt a perfect recipe for those cooler and darker evenings.

Makes: 4Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 4-5 minutes for fresh pappardelle + 3-4 hours for the ragù

INGREDIENTS

  •  
  • 320g of pappardelle
  • 200g royal beef
  • 4 California Prunes
  • 1 onion
  • 50g of dried porcini
  • Mushrooms
  • 1 glass of white wine
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • Extra-virgin olive oil (as desired)
  • Salt and pepper (as desired)
  • Parmesan to garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut the royal beef into 3-4 cm pieces.
2. Finely chop the onion and let it stew with a good amount of oil. Add the meat and
    brown it until it turns brown on all sides.
3. Add the wine and let the alcohol evaporate. Add a glass of vegetable broth or hot
    water, bring to a boil and then lower the flame to a minimum.
4. Add California Prunes, porcini mushrooms, rosemary and cover it.
5. Cook gently for at least an hour.
6. Halfway through cooking, add salt and pepper.
7. Continue cooking until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick.
8. Cook the pappardelle and then season them with the autumnal white ragù.
9. If desired, serve with grated Parmesan cheese
Serving suggestion
To prepare this dressing, I followed the traditional ragù rules: slow and delicate cooking,
low heat and time available. To prepare it, I chose a flavourful cut that tends to flake
apart when cooked. In this way, it will be the meat itself to create tasty morsels of varying
size to mix together with the pasta. The California Prunes, as well as filling the house with
a delicious scent, will melt in the sauce and create a hint of sweetness that goes perfectly
with the meat and, possibly, an accompanying seasoned parmesan. For pasta, I chose the
pappardelle. A type that literally “fills the mouth” and that, with its porosity, manages
to bind the dressing well.

AUTHOR

Teresa Balzano