Green Tagliatelle with Meatballs

Tagliatelle is a wide pasta from the Emilia-Romagna region. According to legend, tagliatelle were invented in 1487 during the Renaissance. Lucrezia Borgia's blonde curly hair inspired the romantic and skillful chef to create the pasta he prepared in honor of her wedding.
Tagliatelle is more often prepared at home by kneading the pasta on eggs, so its surface is rough, capable of holding a thick sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 70 g pancetta
• 600 g chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 300 g minced pork
• 1 egg
• 50 g butter
• olive oil
• salt, freshly ground black pepper
• grated parmesan for serving
• 200 g boiled and squeezed spinach
• 350 g flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbsp. l. olive oil

Directions

1. Squeeze the spinach well, chop in a blender.
2. Sift flour with a slide on a board, make a depression in the middle and break eggs into it, loosen it with a fork. Add spinach and butter and start kneading with a fork, starting from the center.
3. Stir the paste for at least 10 minutes. (you can use a food processor for this) until the dough is smooth and elastic. Roll the finished dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap or in a damp towel and leave for 30 minutes.
4. Divide the dough into 4-6 pieces and roll each piece in turn on a floured board, working with a rolling pin from center to edge (you can use a food processor attachment or a pasta machine). Do not roll the paste too thin. Roll the dough into a tight roll and cut the tagliatelle 8 mm wide. Dry a little.
5. Chop the onions, carrots and celery very finely. Chop the pancetta finely as well. Heat 1 tbsp in a saucepan. l. olive oil, add pancetta and fry for 5 minutes. Then add the vegetables and cook for another 5-7 minutes, until tender. Add tomatoes and oregano to a saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Combine the minced meat with egg, salt and pepper. Form small meatballs with wet hands. Heat the butter in a skillet and brown the meatballs on all sides until golden brown. Transfer the meatballs to the sauce and cook for another 10 minutes.
7. At this time, boil water in a large saucepan and season with salt. Boil the tagliatelle until al dente and transfer to the sauce. Stir gently and heat together for 2 minutes. Add some pasta water if necessary. Spoon the pasta into bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.