Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Ingredients for 8 persons
- 1 kg spaghetti
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 110 gr. finely chopped pancetta
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 celery stick, chopped
- 1 smashed garlic clove
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon of thyme
- 450 gr lean minced veal meat
- 800 gr Kyknos Crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup of milk
- Salt and pepper
Preparation:
Add one tablespoon of olive oil in a deep frying pan and cook the pancetta over medium heat until its colour starts to darken. Add the onion, the carrot, the celery, the garlic, the bay leaf and the thyme, stir and continue cooking until the vegetables soften. Then, set the mixture aside in a bowl or plate and use the same pan to prepare the minced meat.
Turn up the heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil in the middle of the frying pan and put the minced meat in the exact same spot. Cook for about 6 minutes, or until it turns a brownish colour. Add in the mix you have set aside earlier and stir until all the ingredients are mixed together. Add the tomatoes, along with 2 cups of water, lower the heat and stir until the mixture starts to thicken- it should take approximately 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper.
Remove the frying pan away from the heat, add in the milk while stiring well and then put it back on the heat, for about 3 minutes. Afterwards, set the frying pan aside and wait until the sauce cools down. In the meantime, bring the water to a boil in a large pot, after adding some salt and a tablespoon of olive oil and then add the spaghetti. Cook as per package time instructions. Drain the excess water, and serve immediately, adding the sauce and grated Parmigiano cheese.
Two more tasty tips
Instead of adding water to the minced meat, you can replace it will chicken stock. Alternatively, you can boil the spaghetti while preparing the sauce, in order to use the water from the pot for the minced meat.
Good luck and bon appétit!