This is the recipe you pull out when you’re hosting a dinner party and want to impress. 

Short rib ragú tagliatelle

Serves 6-8 

Ingredients 

3 Tbsp (45ml) olive oil
2 onions, grated
1 packet celery, grated
4 cloves garlic, grated
1.6kg beef short rib
Salt and milled pepper
200g pork belly or pancetta, cut into ½cm thick cubes
100g tomato paste
1 cup red wine
⅓cup milk
2 cups passata
2 cups beef stock
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 piece of Parmesan rind (optional)
Grating of nutmeg
4 sprigs rosemary
4 sprigs thyme + extra leaves for garnish
700g tagliatelle pasta, for serving
Parmesan, for serving 

Method   

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Heat half the oil in an oven proof pot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and sweat for 5-8 minutes, careful not to brown – aromatics should just turn translucent. Add garlic and fry for a minute. 
3. Spoon aromatics out of the pot, making sure the pot is clean as any leftover bits will burn hereafter. 
4. Add remaining oil to the pot, increasing heat to high.Season short rib well. Once pot is very hot, add short rib in two batches and brown well on all sides. There will be a caramelised layer (called the fond) forming at the bottom of the pot – keep scraping it off to encourage caramelising. 
5. After about 12-15 minutes when all your meat is deep, dark brown, remove and set aside. Add the pork cubes and cook for another 5 minutes until browned 
6. Add tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes until it turns a deep red colour and starts to caramelise. 
7. Return short rib and add wine to deglaze the pot, then simmer to reduce by a third. 
8. Add milk and cook down for 2 minutes (this will tenderise the meat). Then add remaining ingredients and return aromatics to the pot. Bring to a quick simmer. 
9. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and place in the oven. Cook for 1 hour, then turn the heat down to 160°C and cook for a further 1½-2 hours. It is ideal to switch off the oven and leave the pot in the oven, to cook in the residual heat. 
10. Once cool, remove the short rib and shred the meat, discarding bones and any sinewy fat. Remove Parmesan rind and herbs from the sauce, then return shredded meat to the pot and reheat when ready for serving. 
11. Adjust seasoning, adding a splash of vinegar if needed. 
12. Serve on a bed of tagliatelle and top with Parmesan shavings and extra thyme leaves. 

 Cook’s note: Take your time to caramelise all sides of every piece of meat, as this is where a deep flavour comes from.

Trattoria  

These rustic Italian eateries are the there for everyday fare. It is not as fancy as a city restaurant, but not quite as relaxed as the wine-focused osteria spots. Here the service style is casual – don’t expect a printed menu – often serving food family-style, meaning a big plate in the centre for everyone to dish up. The traditional Italian meals are sold at moderate prices, but come in bountiful servings, just like a nonna would dish up. 

Recipe & styling: Liezl Vermeulen 
Photography: Zhann Solomons 

Also read: Smoky BBQ pork ribs & cheesy loaded fries

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This pasta is a quick, mid-week summer meal that’s filled with flavour. 

Garlicky basil & mussel pasta

Serves 4 

Ingredients

1 box (500g) crumbed garlic half shell West Coast mussels
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 packet (400g) red lentil pasta, linguine or spaghetti
1 tub (120g) basil pesto
1 Tbsp butter
1 packet (125g) mangetout
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4-5 radishes, sliced
Salt and milled pepper
Lemon or lime juice, to finish
Basil leaves, to garnish 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200˚C.
2. Place mussels on a baking tray, drizzle with oil and roast for 15-20 minutes. 
3. Cook pasta according to packet instructions.
4. Drain, rinse and toss pasta with pesto.
5. Heat a pan with butter on a medium-high heat, fry garlic and mangetout for about 3-4 minutes. 
6. Divide pasta, mussels and radishes between 4 plates. 
7. Season and drizzle with lemon or lime juice and garnish with fresh basil. 

Recipe & photos courtesy of Fresh Living magazine

Also read: Creamy lemon pasta

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Instead of making your own pasta, use tagliatelle or pappardelle if you like.

Creamy lemon pasta

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the pasta: 

1⅖ cups (250g) plain or OO flour
3 (170g) extra-large eggs

For the creamy lemon sauce: 

2-3 Tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 cup cream
40g grated Parmesan
Salt and milled pepper
Olive oil, for drizzling
20g parsley, roughly chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped 

Method

1. Place the flour on a working surface and make a deep indent in the middle. Crack eggs into the middle and whisk with a fork to slowly incorporate the flour. 
2. Once a rough dough has formed, bring it together into a ball with your hands. Leave on the counter for 15 minutes to rest; cover with a damp towel. 
3. Knead for another 30 seconds until the dough forms a smooth ball. Wrap in clingwrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. 
4. Use a pasta machine to roll the dough out into a thin, long sheet. Alternatively, portion pasta dough into halves and use a rolling pin to roll each as thin as possible. 
5. Roll dough up into a long log. Slice into 1cm pieces to create pasta strands. Unroll pasta and dust with flour. 
6. For the sauce, add butter and garlic to a deep pan over medium heat. 
7. When golden and sizzling, add lemon zest and juice, stir.
8. Add cream and half the Parmesan, bring to a low simmer and stir until reduced and thickened, about 15 minutes. Season. 
9. Add pasta to a pot of salted boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes until tender. Drain and drizzle with olive oil. 
10. Add pasta to the pot with the sauce and cook for another 2 minutes. 
11. Divide pasta between serving plates and scatter with parsley, the remaining Parmesan and chopped chilli.  

Recipe & styling: Sjaan Van Der Ploeg
Photography: Zhann Solomons

Also read: Expert tips to perfect your homemade pasta dough 

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In many Mediterranean and East Asian cultures, fish symbolises wealth and good fortune due to its abundance and the wordplay on “surplus” in Chinese. In this recipe the flaky hake makes for a bold, Italian-inspired pasta.

Hake puttanesca

Serves 4 

Ingredients

1½ Tbsp (22.5ml) olive oil, + extra for drizzling
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp (15ml) dried origanum
4 anchovy fillets, chopped
2 Tbsp (30ml) caper berries
2 Tbsp (30ml) tomato paste
1 can (410g) chopped and peeled tomatoes
1 cup (250ml) water
1 Tbsp (15ml) soy sauce
1 Tbsp (15ml) brown sugar
70g pitted green olives
Salt and milled pepper
2 (150-200g each) hake fillets
250g spaghetti, cooked according to packet instructions
Handful Italian parsley, chopped 

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Sauté onion for about 8 minutes. 
2. Add garlic, origanum, anchovies, capers and tomato paste and sauté another 2-3 minutes. 
3. Add canned tomatoes, water, soy sauce, sugar and olives. Season. Cook the sauce for about 10-12 minutes on a high heat until slightly thickened. 
4. Lower the heat and add the hake fillets, cover with a lid and steam in the sauce until the fish is cooked, about 10 minutes. Gently flake fish in the pan. 
5. Toss cooked pasta through the sauce, sprinkle with parsley and milled black pepper to garnish. 

Recipe & styling: Lichelle May
Photography: Zhann Solomons

Also read: Steamed Asian hake & cabbage parcel 

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