With a roll and a goo, ragu is a satisfying word. It comes from the French ragout, which indicates a stew of meat and vegetables, often with something highly flavoured added towards the end of the cooking. In fact, the related verb is ragoûter, which means to awaken or perk up the goût (taste and appetite). In Italian cooking, the word ragu is inextricably associated with the heavily protected and beefy ragu alla bolognese and ragu alla Napoletana, but it is also – quietly – used to describe a whole universe of fish and vegetable stews to go with pasta.
Among them are this week’s recipe, ragu di verdura, from the excellent Slow Food book of osteria recipes, and a place called Trattoria Conca Verde in the province of Bergamo in Lombardy. I was about to pass over the dish entirely, until I noticed it has no tomato (good) and includes parmesan and cream (excellent). It is also a recipe that celebrates leek, which is a hero when it comes to vegetable stews, because it brings allium flavour and, if you cook it slowly enough, also collapses into a slippery, butter-like texture. It also happened that I had all the ingredients in the fridge.
At la Conca Verde – which looks like the sort of family-run, hospitable trattoria I always hope to find, so it’s now on my list for a visit to Bergamo next month – they serve ragu di verdura with their own fresh tagliolini rustici made with three types of flour: namely chestnut, wholemeal and farro. Not having any of these flours, I simply made the plain soft flour and egg tagliolini pictured (although, to be honest, the way I cut it, it’s arguably nearer to tagliatelle). I have also tried making this dish with dried spaghetti, which worked well, even though strings don’t have the same surface area and absorbing ability of fresh ribbons. I am going to try the master-catcher, fusilli, next time.
This dish is a good reminder of how a little cream brings a little luxury. A sliced fennel, orange and watercress salad dressed with olive oil and just a little red-wine vinegar follows pasta with vegetable ragu and parmesan cream extremely well.
Pasta with vegetable ragu and parmesan cream
Serves 4
4-6 tbsp olive oil
1 large carrot, peeled and diced small
1 large leek, trimmed and diced small
1 large courgette, peeled and diced small
1 sprig fresh rosemary
Salt and black pepper
150ml single cream, plus extra if needed
60g grated parmesan, or grana padano, plus extra if needed and more for the table
500g fresh tagliolini or tagliatelle, or 400g dried spaghetti or fusilli
Bring a large pan of water to a boil for the pasta. In a large frying pan, gently warm the olive oil, diced vegetables, rosemary and a pinch of salt on a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, and let them sizzle and soften slowly. After about five minutes, cover the pan, lower the heat and leave the veg to sweat gently for another 10 to 15 minutes – if at any point the mix seems at all dry, add a little water. Once they are very soft, pull to one side.
In a small pan, warm the cream, grated parmesan and a few grinds of pepper, stirring until it bubbles gently and thickens, then then take off the heat.
Add salt to the boiling water, stir, add the pasta, stir again and cook until al dente. Use a spider sieve or tongs to lift the pasta directly from the water into the vegetable pan, tip over the parmesan cream and toss everything vigorously, adding a little pasta cooking water to loosen, if necessary.
Now keep in mind that, between stirring and serving (or walking to the table), the pasta might dry and clump a little; also that you might prefer a creamier dish. So you might like to add another couple of tablespoons of cream and grated parmesan, warmed as before, if you are fast on your feet, or simply added cold and stirred again. Serve with more grated parmesan for those who want it.
