Wine & Spirits - February 2021 - 27

TA JARIN
AL RAGÙ

TA JARIN AL RAGÙ

" My mother Lucia is now 80
years old, " says Enrica Alessandria, proprietor of Trattoria Cascina Schiavenza in Serralunga
d'Alba. " She worked in the
kitchen of our family's trattoria
for most of her life and taught
us everything we know about
Langhe cuisine. I learned to roll
out the dough with a rolling pin
at the age of 4. I had to stand up
on a chair to reach the height
of the table. Tajarin with meat
sauce has always been our regular Sunday dish. The pot of ragù
was on the stove all night. As
a teenager, when I came home
from an evening out with friends
at four or five in the morning I was greeted by its inviting
aroma. You could even smell
ragù at Sunday mass, because
all the housewives in the town
had prepared it and their clothes
still carried the scent. Nowadays,
the tajarin in our restaurant is
prepared by my niece Emanuela who has learned all the tricks
from her grandmother: what
is the right consistency of the
dough, when is the right time to
roll out the sheets, how to roll
them up and cut them finely
with a knife. She is very good.
But grandma was unbeatable for
her speed! Tajarin al ragù is a
fixed item our menu and always
will be. It is not just a traditional
dish but a part of the Langhe
and of our lives. "
While the Schiavenza family
might usually drink their own
wine at home (and you can't get

SERRALUNGA D'AL BA

FROM ENRICA ALESSANDRIA,
PROPRIETOR

Trattoria Cascina Schiavenza
Serves 4 as a main course or 6-8
as a primo piatto
● Serve with Az. Ag. Il
Palazzotto Dolcetto di Diano
d'Alba Sörì Cristina
F O R T H E PA S T A :

Trattoria Cascina
Schiavenza
Via Mazzini 4, 12050
Serralunga d'Alba (CN)
Tel: (39) 0173 613115
schiavenza@schiavenza.com
www.schiavenza.com
Enrica Alessandria,
Proprietor

more comfortable than that!),
the Dolcetto di Diano d'Alba Sörì
Cristina of Paolo Olivero would
be an equally good (or perhaps
even better) accompaniment to
the tajarin al ragù. While retaining all the freshness of dolcetto,
this wine brings a bit more body
and character which would
complement the dense (but
remarkably light) egg yolk-based
pasta and the rich concentrated
ragù without overwhelming it,
and even add a lift of aromatic
finesse.
Paolo Olivero makes two
Dolcetto di Diano d'Alba wines:
Sörì Cristina and Sorì Santa
Lucia. Both are exceptional, and
I would happily drink either,
but if I had to choose, I think
the lighter-bodied, slightly more
delicate Sörì Cristina would be a
better match with this dish.

VIEW OF THE LANGHE HILLS FROM CASCINA SCHIAVENZA

1/2 lb. flour Type " 00 "
1/2 lb. durum wheat flour
7 egg yolks

pinch of salt

Mix all the ingredients together to
obtain a soft, compact dough.
Roll the dough out into thin
sheets, let it dry a bit, then roll up
and cut into very thin strips with a
sharp knife.
FOR THE RAGÙ:

1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped celery
2 teaspoons chopped carrots
1 branch rosemary
2 dried bay leaves
½ pound pork, finely chopped or
ground
½ pound beef, finely chopped or
ground
2 ounces chicken livers, coarsely
chopped
1½ cups tomato purée
1 cup red wine

Extra-virgin olive oil

Grated Grana Padano or
Parmigiano Reggiano

Finely chop all the ingredients for
the soffritto (garlic, onions, celery,
carrots and rosemary), mix them
together, add the bay leaves, then
gently heat in the olive oil until soft
but not browned.
Add the chopped meats and
chicken livers and cook on a low
heat, stirring occasionally, for about
an hour.
Raise the heat, add the red wine
and allow the alcohol to cook off for
about two to three minutes.
Stir in the tomato pulp, lower
heat to a simmer and cook slowly
for an hour or more.
Bring a pot of water to boil. Add
the tajarin and cook for 4-6 minutes, depending on dryness.
Strain the pasta, toss with the
hot ragù and serve with grated
Grana Padano or Parmigiano
Reggiano.
27

http://www.schiavenza.com

Wine & Spirits - February 2021

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