Pappardelle al Ragù di Cinghiale (Wild Boar Ragu)

Tuscany is picture postcard Italy.

Or oil painting Italy. As the birthplace of the Renaissance, Tuscany is synonymous with high art and culture. The painters, sculptors, architects, poets and writers who today are credited with leading Europe's transition out of the Middle Ages - Brunelleschi, Dante, da Vinci, Donatello, Michelangelo - were all alumni of the great Tuscan art schools of the era. With many of these works now housed in the 450 or so art museums, churches and galleries across the region this is an influence that has, quite literally, lasted for centuries.

The Tuscan landscape can also feel like a canvas.

In the summer of 2014 I took a leisurely train south along the coast from Pisa on my way to see a good friend. The passing scenery was a patchwork of colours. Golden wheat fields, deep green vineyards, pastel-coloured villages and hilltop villas with rows of cypress trees standing like dark sentinels against the sky. All the while the Tyrrhenian sea jumped in and out of focus, a sparkling and shimmering turquoise background.

Alighting in the beach town of Follonica in the late afternoon, after a quick glass of Prosecco we hopped in the car to Massa Marittima, a beautiful medieval town nestled in the forested hills and with panoramic views over the surrounding countryside.

As the sun started to set and bathe the buildings around us various shades of red and pink, we settled into one of the local restaurants for dinner and my first experience of Italian pasta: pappardelle al ragù di cinghiale. This was my first taste of Italy, and kickstarted a weeklong holiday of indulgence that took in magnificent t-bone steaks in Siena, award-winning Brunello di Montalcino wine and even Tyrolean desserts.

Ingredients (4 people)

For the ragu:

400g wild boar meat (minced or finely chopped)

1 medium onion (finely chopped)

1 carrot (finely chopped)

1 stick celery (finely chopped)

2 garlic cloves (minced)

8-10 cherry tomatoes (halved)

100ml red wine

100ml beef stock

400ml chopped tomatoes

1 tbs tomato paste

1 tbs dried oregano

2 bay leaves

Fresh basil

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

For the pappardelle:

400g semolina or chestnut flour

4 eggs at room temperature

Utensils needed: pasta machine

Preparation (1h30)

1. Prepare the ragu. In a saucepan on medium-high heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and sauté the meat until brown (5min). Remove from the pan and set aside.

2. In the same pan, add more olive oil and sauté the onions, garlic, carrot and celery until softened (10min). Add the cherry tomatoes, bay leaves and oregano. Put the meat back in the pan. Create a small well in the centre of the pan and add the tomato paste (sautéing the paste first will remove some of the sharpness). Stir all contents together. Add the red wine and cook off the alcohol (2min). Add the chopped tomatoes and beef stock. Turn heat to low and simmer covered for 1 hour. Add salt and pepper to season.

3. While the ragu is cooking, prepare the pappardelle. You will need roughly 100g of flour and 1 egg per person.

4. On a clean surface, place all the flour in a mound. Set aside an extra bowl of flour for dusting and an extra bowl of water. Create a well in the centre of the mound and break the eggs in. With your fingers, slowly mix the flour into the eggs from the outside in - being careful not to let any of the eggs spill. Mix all the contents together until the eggs and flour have combined into a rough shape. If the mixture is too dry/crumbly, wet your fingers in the bowl and apply to the dough (but don't add water directly). If too wet, add more flour. Knead the dough for 10min. Cover the dough with clingfilm or a bowl and let rest for 10min (important: always cover the dough to prevent drying out).

5. Cut the dough into roughly 4 equal pieces. Flatten each piece with your hands to prepare it for the pasta machine and dust each side with flour. Using the machine's widest setting (1 or 6 depending on the machine) gently roll one piece through. Then roll it through on the next setting, repeating at each setting until you reach the final, thinnest setting and the dough is stretched out into a long sheet. Dust both sides of the sheet with flour. Next, fold the sheet in half and then again 2-3 times. Slice the folded up sheet into 1cm ribbons and unfold each one. Repeat for the rest of the dough pieces.

6. Once all the pappardelle are ready, bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Add the pappardelle and cook for 5-6 minutes. Drain the water and add the pappardelle to the ragu, stirring everything together.

7. Garnish with fresh basil and serve immediately!

TIP 1: Add a drop of milk to the ragu at the end of cooking to remove some of the acidity from the tomatoes.

TIP 2: Add a spoonful of the pasta water to the ragu for extra flavour and body.

TIP 3: For extra Tuscan authenticity make sure to use 'farina di castagna' (chestnut flour) for the pappardelle.