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Cacao Pasta with Beef Ragu
 Serves 4 
 Pasta:
 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
 4 extra large eggs
 4 tablespoons unsweetened Scharffen Berger cocoa powder
 
 Sauce:
 1 red onion, finely diced
 1 celery stalk, finely diced
 1 carrot, finely diced
 1 clove of garlic, finely diced
 4 ounces duck proscuitto (or pancetta), finely diced
 2 tablespoons olive oil
 1 pound lean ground beef
 1-2 cups beef stock
 1 cup red wine
 1 cup of drained chopped tomatoes
 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
 1/3 cup raisins
 1/4 cup pine nuts
 1 1/2 ounces 62% Scharffen Berger semisweet chocolate, chopped
 1/2 tablespoon sugar
 salt and pepper to taste
 
 Pasta:
 1. Sift together cocoa and flour.
 2. Mix together the eggs.
 3. Put the flour cocoa mixture in a stand mixer.
 4. Slowly add the eggs until the dough starts to form.
 5. Form 3 small balls of dough and wrap each ball in plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
 6. In a pasta machine, roll the dough to a tagliatelle thickness and cut into thin strips. 
 
 Sauce:
 1. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat.  
 2. Add ground beef and brown the meat.
 3. Add the chopped red onions, celery, and carrot and cook for another 5 minutes on medium-low heat.
 4. Add garlic and proscuitto and cook for another 5 minutes.
 5. Add tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.
 6. Add wine and simmer until wine evaporates.
 7. Add beef stock and simmer for 30 minutes.
 8. In a bowl, combine vinegar, chocolate, pine nuts and raisins.  After 30 minutes, add this mixture to the beef ragu.
 9. Simmer for another 5 minutes.  Stir well. Taste for salt and pepper.
 
 To Serve:
 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. 
 2. Add the pasta and cook for 2 minutes.  
 3. Drain the pasta and toss with the warm beef ragu sauce. 
Prepared by Chef Arnon Oren, Café Cacao, Berkeley, California, the in-house eatery at the Scharffen Berger chocolate factory at 914 Heinz Avenue.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the businesses in question before making your plans.



