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1
Set a heavy-based pot — earthenware or enamelled cast iron — over medium-low heat. Add the diced pancetta and render it slowly until the fat runs clear and the pieces are translucent but not coloured. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the soffritto is completely soft and without colour — approximately 20 minutes. The vegetables should yield entirely to the spoon.
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2
Raise the heat to medium. Add the minced cartella to the pot. Break it apart and cook slowly, stirring, until all moisture has evaporated and the meat begins to fry in its own fat rather than steam. The pot should sound dry and the meat should take on an even, light colour. This stage builds the foundation of flavour and must not be rushed.
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3
Pour in the dry white wine. Stir and allow it to cook at a lively heat until every trace of liquid has evaporated and the sharp smell of alcohol has entirely left the pot. This is where the dish lives or dies: residual alcohol carried into the long braise will distort the final flavour, and no amount of subsequent cooking will correct it. The pot must smell of meat, not wine.
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4
Reduce the heat to low. Pour in the whole milk and stir to combine. Cook until the milk has fully evaporated and no white liquid remains visible. The milk proteins tenderise the meat fibres and moderate the acidity laid down by the wine.
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5
Add the tomato paste and stir it through the meat until fully dissolved and no raw colour remains. Add enough hot beef broth to barely cover the contents of the pot. Stir once, reduce the heat to the absolute minimum, and bring the ragù to the faintest simmer — a murmur at the surface, never a boil.
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6
Maintain the faintest simmer for a minimum of 4 hours, adding hot broth in small additions only as necessary to prevent the ragù from catching. The ragù is ready when no discernible free liquid remains — all has been absorbed into the meat — and the mixture moves as a single, cohesive mass. The colour will be a deep, dark terracotta-brown.
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7
Cook fresh egg tagliatelle in well-salted boiling water until just tender. Drain, reserving a little pasta water. Dress the tagliatelle directly with the ragù and a splash of pasta water only, turning to coat each ribbon evenly. Serve immediately on warmed plates.