Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in Volume IV of B.H. Magazine. To get your copy (and access to future issues), subscribe here.
I like pasta. A lot. No real surprises there, but in the early days of Tipo, my business partner Alberto said to me, “You eat pasta more than anyone I’ve ever met.”
It’s true. I’m happy to eat two bowls of pasta every day. Though even if you’re not cooking (and eating) pasta as regularly as I do, to me, it needs to be done right every time. And unwittingly, most people cooking pasta at home are not doing it right, because they’re cooking it in big batches.
To cook pasta properly, you should only be cooking one serve at a time. It’s what we do at Tipo and it’s why people keep coming back. Here’s how we do it.
We make the sauce and put it in the pan with one serve of pasta that’s been cooked a little short of al dente. Al dente literally means ‘to the tooth,’ a description of the texture of cooked pasta that is firm when bitten, with a slight resistance or chewiness. Hardcore Italians might like their pasta really crunchy, but fresh pasta made by hand is never going to be like that.
Then we toss the pasta with the sauce, usually for about 45 seconds, but no more than a minute because it can overcook very quickly. Tossing emulsifies the sauce, so it thickens and reaches the right consistency.
You can’t toss a pan properly if it’s overloaded with multiple serves of pasta. There’s a heat factor at play too. If you have a big mass of pasta and sauce you’re trying to stir it through, the pasta continues to cook and turns gluggy.
When you have the time and inclination you can try the Tipo technique and see what difference it makes. It takes a little more planning and will mean more washing up, but, believe me, the end result is so much better.
Pappardelle with Braised Wagyu & Confit Chilli
As dictated by Tipo 00’s Andreas Papadakis
- 225g quality dried pappardelle
- 750g beef neck or shin (trimmed of the majority of excess fat and cut into 6-8cm chunks)
- 2½ tbsp olive oil
- 1 small brown onion (diced)
- 2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
- 1 small bay leaf 1 sprig of rosemary
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 2 sprigs of sage
- 200ml dry white wine
- 400g tin of peeled tomatoes (preferably Italian)
- Sea salt & freshly ground pepper
- 100g shallots (finely diced)
- 75ml vegetable oil or olive oil
- 50g long red chillies (coarsely chopped into 1 cm pieces)
- 40g tomato paste
- 50g unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley leaves (finely chopped(
- 30g (1⁄3 cup) finely grated parmesan
- Preheat the oven to 150–160°C fan-forced. For the braised beef, season the meat with salt and pepper. Place a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and saute the meat in the olive oil until golden brown on all sides, then transfer to an ovenproof braising pan. Next add the onion, garlic and herbs to the saucepan and cook for 4–5 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent. Pour in the wine and stir to deglaze, then simmer until reduced by half. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer and season with salt.
- Pour the contents of the saucepan over the beef, cover really tightly with foil and cook in the oven for 2½–3 hours, or until the meat is falling apart. Meanwhile, make the confit chilli. In a very small heavy-based saucepan, sweat the shallot with a third of the oil for about 3–4 minutes until soft. Add the chillies and tomato paste and cook for 1 more minute, then add the remaining oil, season with salt and cook on the lowest possible heat for 20–30 minutes – the time needed will depend on how low the heat on your stove goes. When it’s ready, it should have a relish-like consistency.
- Let the meat cool down in the ragu, then lift it out and break it down into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Remove the herb stalks from the ragu and discard. Return the meat to the ragu and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. Cook the pappardelle in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente, according to the instructions on the package for dried, or about 3–4 minutes for fresh.
- To finish, put a third of the ragu into a large frying pan and bring to a simmer, then stir in the butter and 2–3 tablespoons of the confit chilli, depending on how hot the chillies are. Drain the pasta and toss with the ragu in the frying pan for 1 minute, adding the parsley and most of the parmesan. Taste for salt and toss again until the ragu thickens and coats the pasta. Serve in warmed bowls, finishing with the remaining parmesan.
Note: This recipe actually makes more than you need for two people – in fact, it’ll serve six generously – but the rest will last in the fridge for a few days (or in the freezer for at least a month). But if you are cooking for more than two, increase the quantities of pasta and finishing ingredients accordingly.
If you’ve enjoyed Andreas Papadakis’ life-changing recipe for pappardelle with braised wagyu, consider a few more of our favourite stories – direct from the pages of B.H. Magazine:
