Italian Beef Ragu Food

ITALIAN BEEF RAGU

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Pat beef dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over high heat in a heavy pot or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. Add beef and sear each piece on all sides until browned; about 3 minutes total. If browning in batches, remove each batch to a plate and set aside.
• Turn stove down to medium low and add remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil.
• Add the garlic and onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Next add the carrots and celery and sauté for an additional 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir well to combine. Pour in the wine to degraze the pan and allow to boil for about a minute, then add the tomatoes and stir to combine.
• Add the remaining ragu ingredients into the pot and then add the browned beef along with any collected juices.
• Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil, then cover with a tight fitting lid (or aluminum foil) and place in the hot oven for around 3 hours, or until the meat becomes very tender. Stir occasionally. If too much liquid evaporates during the cooking process and the sauce becomes too thick, add a splash of water or beef stock to loosen the sauce to your desired consistency.
• Remove the pan from the oven shred the meat with two forks on a rimmed baking sheet. Discard the bones (if using shanks or oxtails). Return meat into the sauce. Skim off any excess fat with a serving spoon.
• Add Worcestershire sauce or balsamic vinegar, season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaves.
• If the sauce is too loose, simmer uncovered to reduce the sauce. Alternatively, you could also add a slurry of flour and water to quickly thicken the sauce. [See Note 5]
• Serve with pasta, polenta, gnocchi, or grilled Italian bread.
• Refrigerate leftovers for up to a week or freeze in an airtight container or zip top bag for up to 3 months.

ITALIAN BEEF RAGU

Steps:

• Finely chop the carrot, onion and celery and sweat the vegetables gently in a large frying pan with the olive oil. Once the vegetables are soft add the ground beef and pork and cook until browned.
• If there is a lot of excess fat in the pan, drain some out. Add the red wine and reduce by half. Once the wine has reduced by half add the passata and half of the beef stock and a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Stir the sauce and let it simmer on a low heat for 2 and a half hours topping up the rest of the stock as it reduces.
• Tip: Remeber to check on the ragu every now and then to stir it and add extra stock or water if needed.
• To serve with pasta add cooked pasta into the ragu and toss or use as desired.

PAPPARDELLE WITH SLOW-COOKER BEEF RAGù

Steps:

• Whisk the tomatoes, wine, tomato paste, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the rosemary and parmesan rind. Season the beef all over with salt and pepper and add to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low until the meat is very tender, 7 hours. Shred the meat in the slow cooker with two forks, discarding any large pieces of fat. Discard the rosemary sprig and parmesan rind.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain. Return the pasta to the pot and add the shredded meat and sauce; stir in the reserved cooking water. Cook over medium-high heat, tossing occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in half the parsley. Divide among bowls and drizzle with the olive oil; top with shredded parmesan and the remaining parsley.

BEEF RAGù RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Season the meat on all sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat a large heavy pot with a lid over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and brown the meat in batches until a crust forms, turning to ensure even color on all sides.
• Once one batch is done, set aside in a bowl or plate with a lip, add another fresh tablespoon of olive oil and continue until all the meat is brown.
• Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and sauté the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic until softened, about 3-4 minutes.
• Pour in the wine and let it boil off and reduce until barely any remains in the pan.
• Next, add the browned meat back to the pan, along with the tomato paste. Stir until tomato paste is coating all the ingredients and allow the paste to toast slightly.
• Pour in the tomatoes, stock, and herb bundle and stir, bring to a simmer and cover with a lid.
• Allow to simmer for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Alternatively, if your pot and lid are oven safe, cook in a 325˚F (170˚C) oven for 3 hours.
• Remove the herb bundle and beef shank.
• Pull the meat from the oxtail. Using a fork or tongs, discarding the bone and any extra cartilage or extra fat. Add the meat back to the ragu and stir.
• Skim off any extra fat from the top of the ragu.
• Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup (120 ml) of the pasta water before draining.
• Add a few ladlefuls of ragu, the pasta, and a splash of pasta water to a large pot, gently stir to coat the pasta in the ragu.
• Add a handful of cheese and stir to melt into the sauce.
• Garnish with more cheese and fresh parsley before serving.
• Enjoy!

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND BEEF RAGU RECIPE - (4/5)

Steps:

• Heat 1½ tbsp oil over high heat in a large heavy based pot. Add the beef and sausage. Cook, breaking it up as you go, until browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove into a bowl. Heat remaining 1½ tbsp oil in the pot and reduce heat to medium low. Add garlic, onion, carrot and celery. Saute gently for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add cooked meat back into the pot along with the remaining Ragu ingredients. Turn heat up and mix to combine. Bring to simmer, then turn the heat down so it is bubbling gently (refer to the video, at 50 seconds). Cover and cook for 2½ hours, stirring once or twice. Remove from heat and remove the lid. The amount of liquid reduces as it cools, you will be surprised, so don't be tempted to return it to the stove without the lid! :) SLOW COOKER: At step 3, transfer everything into a slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, and cook the last 30 minutes or so with the lid off the reduce. To Serve Bring a very large pot of salted water to a rapid boil. Add pasta and cook until just al dente - cooked but still quite firm (I usually go for 2 minutes less than cook time per packet). Meanwhile, heat a large, deep fry pan over medium high heat. Add about 2½ cups of ragu, bring to simmer. Use tongs to transfer pasta straight from the pot to the fry pan PLUS ½ cup of pasta cooking water. Toss gently (I use 2 wooden spatulas) for 1 minute or until the sauce reduces, by which time the sauce will thicken, be glossy, and stick to the pasta. Serve immediately, garnished with Parmigiano-Reggiano if using! NOTES 1. The Italian pork sausages are key to the incredible flavour and richness in this recipe. So please don't think of substituting this with the cheap BBQ sausages (the ones that are an even pink colour), please make sure you get chunky Italian sausages. By "chunky", I mean the sausages where you can see chunks of white fat in the sausages so you know it's made with real meat, not with fillers (like the cheap sausages are). Italian sausages are loaded with fab seasonings. The classic usually has fennel in it, but you can use any Italian sausages you want. I used Chili & Garlic ones once and they were fab! 2. The onion, carrot and celery is a holy trinity referred to as Soffitto. Use a 2:1:1 ratio i.e. The amount of carrots and celery should each be ½ the amount of onion. Or put another way, when you combine the carrots and celery, it should be about the same amount as the onion. 3. My personal opinion for slow cooked dishes like this where wine is not the star ingredient is that you don't need to use an expensive one. Any deep coloured red wine will be fine, just don't use a pinot or rose. I used a Merlot. All the alcohol cooks out so it is perfectly safe for kids so I really urge you to stick to the recipe if you can. But if you can't consume alcohol, you can substitute with non alcoholic red wine or (next best substitute) more beef stock. 4. Better quality (i.e.: more expensive) canned tomatoes tend to be sweeter. So if you feel the sauce is a bit sour, just add a bit of sugar (white or brown), 1 tsp at a time until the sauce is to your taste. 5. As a rule of thumb: 2.5oz/80g dried pasta per person + ¾ cup of ragu per person. To make this for 1 to 3 people, use ½ cup of pasta cooking water, for 4 to 5 people, use ¾ cup. 6. This makes loads. :-) Enough for 8 to 10 people, and it freezes brilliantly. Once it cools, it would also be fabulous to use for lasagna!