Fresh Egg Pasta with Pork Ragù

Foundations Referenced

• → Sauce Tomat (ragù builds on this concept)
• → Mirepoix (Italian soffritto variation)
• → Chicken Stock

Ingredients

Fresh Egg Pasta

• 2 cups (260g) "00" flour or all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Pinch of salt
• Semolina for dusting

Pork Ragù

• 1 lb ground pork (or mix of pork and veal)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, brunoise
• 1 carrot, brunoise
• 1 celery stalk, brunoise
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 can (28 oz) San Marzano tomatoes, crushed
• 1/2 cup chicken stock (→ foundation)
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt, pepper
• Parmesan for serving

Method

Ragù (start first — it needs time)

1. Heat oil in Dutch oven. Brown pork in batches, breaking into pieces, 8 min. Remove.
2. Add soffritto (onion, carrot, celery — the Italian mirepoix). Cook 8 min until soft and golden.
3. Add garlic, 1 min. Add wine, reduce by half.
4. Return pork. Add tomatoes, stock, milk, and bay leaf. The milk adds richness and tenderizes.
5. Simmer very gently, partially covered, 2–2.5 hours. Stir occasionally. Season.

Pasta

1. Mound flour on clean surface, make a well. Add eggs, oil, salt to center.
2. Using a fork, gradually incorporate flour from the inner walls into the eggs.
3. When shaggy, knead by hand 8–10 min until smooth and elastic. Wrap in plastic, rest 30 min.
4. Divide into 4 pieces. Roll through pasta machine, starting at widest setting, narrowing progressively to setting 5–6 for tagliatelle.
5. Dust sheets with semolina, loosely roll, cut into 3/4" wide ribbons. Toss with semolina to prevent sticking.

Cook and serve

1. Boil pasta in heavily salted water 2–3 min (fresh pasta cooks fast).
2. Toss with ragù in the pot, adding a splash of pasta water to emulsify.
3. Serve with grated Parmesan.

What You're Learning

• Fresh pasta: the feel of proper dough (smooth as silk, springs back when poked)
• Soffritto: the Italian cousin of mirepoix — same concept, finer cut, different flavor profile
• Milk in ragù: a Bolognese tradition that adds sweetness and tenderness
• Long, slow simmering transforms simple ingredients into something extraordinary
• Pasta water as an emulsifier — the starch binds sauce to noodle

The Science of Fresh Pasta

The ratio: 100g flour per 1 large egg (~50g) is the classic Italian standard. This yields a hydration level of about 55%, which produces a firm, rollable dough.

Flour choice matters:

• "00" flour: finely milled Italian flour with moderate protein (~12%). Produces silky, tender pasta.
• All-purpose: slightly higher protein, works well but produces a slightly chewier result.
• Semolina: high protein, coarse grind. Used for dusting and for dried pasta shapes (orecchiette, cavatelli).

Gluten development: Kneading aligns the gluten proteins into an elastic network. The 30-min rest allows the gluten to relax (making the dough easier to roll) and lets the flour fully hydrate. If the dough springs back aggressively when rolling, let it rest longer.

The windowpane test: Stretch a small piece of dough thin. If it becomes translucent without tearing, gluten is properly developed. If it tears immediately, knead more.

Why pasta water is magic: As pasta cooks, it releases starch into the water. This starchy water, when added to a sauce, acts as an emulsifier — binding the fat and water components of the sauce together and helping it cling to the noodles. Always reserve a cup before draining.

Pasta Shape Guide

Shape	Best Sauce Pairing	Why
Tagliatelle / pappardelle	Ragù, cream sauces	Wide ribbons catch chunky, rich sauces
Spaghetti / linguine	Oil-based, light tomato	Long strands coat evenly with thin sauces
Penne / rigatoni	Chunky vegetable, baked dishes	Tubes trap sauce inside
Orecchiette	Broccoli rabe, sausage	Cup shape holds small pieces
Filled (ravioli, tortellini)	Butter + sage, light broth	Delicate wrappers need gentle sauces