Recipe by sfoglini.com., Adapted by Judi Graber

• 1 medium onion, diced (1 cup)
• 1 medium carrot, diced (1 cup)
• 1 celery rib, diced (1 cup)
• 3 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce, plus more to taste
• 2 tbsp. gochujang
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar (I used light)
• 1/4 cup neutral cooking oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced* (or 1/2 tbsp.)
• 2 tsp. grated ginger*
• *Instead of the fresh garlic and ginger I used 2-3 tsp. of ginger-garlic paste according to AI (I always have fresh garlic on hand but not ginger)
• 1 lb. ground beef (I used ground white turkey breast)
• 1/4 cup red pear (Asian) I will add more next time
• 12 oz. Sfoglini Reginetti (can also use radiators or vesuvio pasta)
• kosher salt to taste
• 3 scallions, green and white, thinly sliced, to serve
• black and white sesame seeds, to serve

Process the onion, carrot and celery in a food processor until very finely minced, nearly a paste. I added a litte water to give the mixture a better consistency.

Combine the soy sauce, gochujang, and brown sugar in a small bowl; set aside.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan until just simmering. Add the processed vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes, or until the veggies are softened, the liquid has evaporated and the mixture smells sweet. Stir in the garlic and ginger (or ginger-garlic paste) and cook for another minute or two.

Add the ground meat of your choice (typically it is beef) and cook just until browned and no longer pink. Add the soy sauce mixture along with 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to med low and let simmer 10-20 minutes adding a splash of water if the sauce is too thick. Stir in the grated pear, then remove the pan from the heat until ready to add to the pasta.

While the sauce is simmering, bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until 2 minutes before al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water before straining. I always save more water just in case as it is so full of starch and only adds to your sauce.

Add the pasta and the reserved pasta water to the pan with the ragu and stir gently into the ragu. Once the sauce simmers, cook gently for 2-3 minutes until the pasta is al dente. Adjust any seasoning if needed.

Serve with scallion slices and sesame seeds.

You can make the meat sauce ahead, refrigerated and slowly reheated over low heat with some water in a skillet while the pasta cooks.

Recipe by cookingwithauntjuju.com