Tagliatelle with Mortadella

To serve 6:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/3 pounds (600 g) freshly made tagliatelle or fettuccine (dried will work if you must)
• An 8-ounce (200 g) slice of Mortadella di Bologna
• 1 pound (400 g) blanched, peeled, seeded and chopped plum tomatoes (you can if need be use plain canned tomatoes)
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (if the tomatoes are tart)
• 2/3 cup milk
• Unsalted butter
• Freshly grated Parmigiano
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

PREPARATION:

Dice the mortadella and brown it in a pot with a tablespoon or two of butter, stirring gently to expose all sides of the cubes to the pan. Add the tomatoes and the sugar if necessary, and cook for about 20 minutes.

When the sauce has thickened gently stir in the milk, season to taste with salt and pepper, and continue simmering over a low flame.

In the meantime bring pasta water to a boil, lightly salt it, and cook the tagliatelle. If they're fresh they should only require about three minutes. Drain them, season them with another pat of butter, the sauce, and serve, with grated cheese