While we were in Tuscany, we stayed at Il Borro, a historic village and country estate turned resort. Of course, we loved being in a country setting with elevated, but understated style. The food was incredible, the design and interiors were so comfortable and inspiring. We took a private cooking class held on the property in one of the restaurants. Since we’ve returned home, this has been on constant rotation for dinner – a new favorite.
Menu :
Panzanella
Ragu Bianco with Homemade Pici Pasta
Tiramisu
Ragu Bianco with Pasta
For the class, we made homemade Pici Pasta, but since we’ve been home we have made this with penne or bucatini. Pici is a fun pasta because it doesn’t require any tools, but is cut into long strips and hand-rolled like long snakes. Highly recommend if you are looking to host a hands-on dinner.
1/2 onion, small dice
4 carrots, small dice
3 ribs of celery, small dice
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 pound of ground beef
sea salt & cracked pepper
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons of flour
1 cup of white wine (or more)
2 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup of milk
*Pasta (penne, rigatoni, bucatini, etc.)
Parmesan Cheese
Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente, or about 2 minutes short of directed cooking time. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water to addd to the sauce. Do not rinse the pasta, but strain and put directly into the sauce.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a large sauté pan, sauté onion, carrots and celery in olive oil for 5 minutes until translucent and beginning to brown. Add beef and 2 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of pepper and continue to cook until all beef has been browned and cooked through. Add chopped rosemary to the sauce. Sprinkle over the flour, then add the white wine, milk and butter. Simmer for 10 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper.
Add pasta directly into the sauce, tossing it together. Add a bit of pasta water at a time if more liquid desired for the sauce. Top with lots of parmesan cheese.
