Don Silvers

One 4 pnd. chicken

16 cups water

4 T. unsalted butter

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves thinly sliced

2 celery ribs, finely chopped

1 onion finely chopped

2 cups dry white wine

One 28oz can whole tomatoes, crushed

1 T. fresh thyme leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 pnds. tagliatelle or fettuccine

Shredded Montasio or pecorino cheese for serving.

Note: Montasio is a cow's milk cheese from Italy's Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. Nutty and fruity-tasting, it becomes sharp and granular (like Parmesan) as it ages. Aged Montasio is wonderful for grating; buy it from a good cheese store or dibruno.com.(/p> In a large pot, cover the chicken with the water. Bring to a simmer and cook over moderately low heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour. Remove the chicken from the broth and let stand until cool enough to handle. Discard the chicken skin and bones and finely shred the meat. Boil the broth over high heat until reduced to 1 cup, about 1 hour.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the garlic, celery and onion and cook over moderately high heat until the vegetables start to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes and their juices, the 1 cup of chicken broth, the shredded chicken and the thyme. Simmer over moderately low heat until the sauce thickens slightly, about 45 minutes. Season the ragu with salt and pepper.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the tagliatelle until al dente. Drain well and return the pasta to the pot. Add the ragu and toss over low heat until the pasta is well coated, about 2 minutes. Transfer the pasta to warm bowls, top with the Montasio cheese and serve.

The chicken ragu can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.