Serves: 4 people
24-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano PDO
Ingredients
8 small thin beef steaks for frying
25g Parmigiano Reggiano PDO, freshly grated & extra for sprinkling
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Handful of fresh flat parsley, torn
1tbsp pine kernels
1tbsp raisins
salt & black pepper
400g large rigatoni pasta
Green salad leaves, to serve
Toothpicks or kitchen string
For the sauce :
4tbsp olive oil
100ml red wine
1 onion, very finely chopped
1 celery stick, very finely chopped
1 carrot, very finely chopped
2 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
1tbsp tomato purée, diluted in 300ml of lukewarm water
Handful of fresh basil, torn
Method
- Arrange the slices of meat on a chopping board or a clean work surface and flatten the steaks with a meat tenderiser (if you don’t have one, place a flat wooden spatula over the meat and bash with the palm of your hand.) Season each with salt and pepper, sprinkle with garlic, pine kernels, raisins, grated Parmigiano Reggiano PDO and parsley. Roll each slice tightly and secure well with toothpicks or with kitchen string
- Heat the olive oil in large saucepan. When hot, lower the heat, add the meat rolls and seal well on all sides. Increase the heat, add the red wine and simmer until reduced by half. Remove the meat and set aside.
- Add the onions, celery and carrots to the pan and stir well. Cook until the remainder of the wine has nearly evaporated, then put the meat back in the pan, and pour over the diluted tomato purée and the chopped tinned tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, add the fresh basil, stir well, lower the heat, partially cover with a lid and cook for 1.5/2 hours. Stir from time to time and check for seasoning.
- Towards the end of cooking time, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the rigatoni until “al dente.” Serve the tomato sauce with the cooked rigatoni and sprinkle over grated Parmigiano Reggiano PDO. Then serve the meat rolls as a main course with a green salad.
