I'd been making the same recipe for years until I read a few years ago, that it is the law in trattorias in Bologna that Italian chefs all follow this recipe. My family love it so I'm sticking with it now, although we prefer spaghetti to tagliatelle. It serves four:
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp olive oil
6 rashers of streaky 'pancetta' bacon, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 carrots, chopped
Stick of celery
1kg lean minced beef
2 large glasses of red wine
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
2 fresh or dried bay leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
800g-1kg dried tagliatelle
freshly grated parmesan cheese, to serve
METHOD
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan and fry the bacon until golden over a medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, frying until softened. Increase the heat and add the minced beef. Fry it until it has browned. Pour in the wine and boil until it has reduced in volume by about a third. Reduce the temperature and stir in the tomatoes, carrots, celery, salt, pepper and bay leaves.
Cover with a lid and simmer over a gentle heat for 1-1½ hours until it's rich and thickened, stirring occasionally.
Cook the tagliatelle in plenty of boiling salted water. Drain and divide between plates. Sprinkle a little parmesan over the pasta before adding a good ladleful of the sauce. Finish with a further scattering of cheese and a twist of black pepper.