Slowly Braised Lamb Ragu Food

PASTA WITH BRAISED LAMB SHANK RAGù

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in 4-quart ovenproof casserole. Add pancetta, lightly brown and remove. Add lamb shanks, brown on all sides and remove. Lower heat; add onions, garlic and rosemary. Sauté until soft. Add white wine. Scrape pan, return pancetta and lamb to casserole, season with salt and pepper, then cover and bake 90 minutes, turning lamb once.
• Remove lamb from casserole. Cut meat from bones, trimming off fat and gristle. Finely dice meat and add to casserole. Add tomatoes and red pepper. Simmer on top of stove one hour. Check seasoning.
• Boil pasta until al dente, drain, toss with sauce, and serve with pecorino for dusting.

SLOW BRAISED LAMB

Steps:

• Toss lamb chunks in seasoned flour, then shake off excess.
• Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan and fry lamb chunks all over to brown. Do this in batches. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a flameproof casserole.
• Add 2 tbsp more olive oil to the pan and fry onion to soften but not brown. Add to lamb. Next add carrots and celery and lightly brown. Add to lamb with garlic. Pour over stock and wine and bring to bubbling. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Turn down to simmer, then cook over lowest heat for around 1 ¼ hours, or until lamb is tender. Sprinkle with parsley.
• Meanwhile, cook potatoes in lightly salted boiling water until soft to the point of a knife. Mash with extra virgin olive oil and egg to fabulous creaminess. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Briefly toss spinach in a pan with a little salted water to wilt. Drain.
• Serve lamb with mash and spinach on the side. Drizzle mash with more extra virgin olive oil.

SLOW BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 160ºC/320ºF.
• Season the lamb shanks generously with salt and pepper. Brown the lamb shanks in a large, deep oven-proof pot/pan until well-browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• In the same pan, fry the onion, carrot, celery and garlic until soft and fragrant. Add the herbs and tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds before adding the red wine and stock. Allow to come to a simmer then add the lamb shanks back into the sauce.
• Cover with a lid and place in the oven. Allow to braise slowly for 2-3 hours until the lamb is soft and succulent. Check on the lamb shanks half-way through cooking and add more stock if necessary.
• Remove from the oven and serve.

AMAZING SLOW-COOKED ITALIAN LAMB RAGOUT AND PASTA

Steps:

• Begin by heating the olive oil in a heavy pot over a medium high heat. Once heated (oil should be shimmering), add the meat and brown on all sides. You may have to do this in two batches.
• Once the meat is browned, throw in the onions, carrots, celery and herbs. Stir and continue cooking until the veggies are softened (takes about 7-10 minutes for me). Add garlic and stir for a minute or two until the garlic fragrance is lovely, but don't overcook.
• Next, take a sip of your wine to make sure it still tastes good (optional) and pour in the two glasses of red wine.
• Now, deglaze the bottom of your pan scraping up all those goodies.
• Cook the wine down until it is mostly evaporated. It will take a bit, depending on your stove maybe 20 minutes. It should smell and look terrific by now.
• Carefully add your plum tomatoes and stir slowly and softly so as not to break them up.
• Toss in the pearl barley (if using) and stir.
• Now, cover the pieces of meat with about a 1/2 inch of water.
• Remember that cartouche that you made, wet it and then rub with oil. Place in the pot on the surface, cover and cook on simmer for three hours.
• Next, carefully remove the lid and cartouche (place it on a plate). Give the sauce a stir and check your braised meat. The meat should be "fall apart" tender.
• Also, now is a good time to throw on the pot of pasta water.
• If your meat needs additional cooking time, re-cover with the cartouche and cook another 1/2 hour.
• Now, check your seasonings and adjust with salt and pepper as required.
• Place cooked meat in a bowl and cool slightly. Next, pull the meat apart using two forks until you get it the way you desire.
• While the meat cools, you may need to continue cooking with the ragout with the lid and cartouche off your pot to reduce the sauce to the consistency you wish.
• Stir your pulled meat back into your perfect sauce. Taste! Adjust seasonings if needed.
• Your sauce is ready and the Pasta is cooking, so toss in the butter and stir until the ragout is fully mixed and shiny.
• Then throw in the cheese stir and remove from the heat.
• Drain your pasta* (saving a cup of liquid) and slide it into the ragout, tossing the pasta with the sauce until mixed (add pasta water if needed).
• Finally, garnish with a little finely chopped fresh rosemary and Parmesan. Tuck in!

SLOW COOKER LAMB RAGU

Steps:

• Heat a skillet or pan on medium to high, add the oil and brown the meat on both sides until it is golden and brown. Around 2 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place into the slow cooker.
• Reduce heat to medium and add the onions and garlic to the pan. Cook until fragrant and onions turn translucent.
• Add in the canned tomatoes, tomato paste and stock/broth. Stir to mix in. Around 2 minutes.
• Pour in the sauce over the meat in the slow cooker. Add bay leaves, rosemary, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper.
• Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours.
• Remove meat from slow cooker and pull apart with two forks into shreds . Return meat back to slow cooker with the sauce and mix together.
• Cook the pappardelle pasta according to the directions on the packet. Then rinse and drain under tap water.
• To serve: equally divide pasta amongst plates, top with the shredded lamb ragu meat, and add a sprinkling of parmesan and finely chopped basil on top.

BRAISED LAMB RAGU WITH PENNE

Steps:

• Set oven to 325 degrees.
• Cook the penne in boiling water until JUST firm-tender, drain and transfer to a bowl (do not rinse with water) toss with 2-3 tablespoons oil and set aside, this can be done before, during or after you cook the lamb shanks).
• Heat oil in a Dutch oven over high heat.
• Rub oil lightly on the lamb shanks and then season them with salt and pepper.
• Add to the pot and brown evenly on all sides (this should take about 10-12 minutes).
• Transfer the lamb to a platter.
• Add in chopped onions, garlic, mushrooms, basil, rosemary and crushed red pepper flakes; saute until the veggies are tender (about 7-9 minutes).
• Return the lamb to the pot.
• Add in wine and bring to a boil; simmer for about 6-8 minutes.
• Add in beef broth, Worcestershire sauce and crushed tomatoes and return to a simmer.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Cover the pot and transfer to the oven.
• Cook for about 1-1/2 hours, or until meat is desired tenderness.
• At this point you can remove the meat from the bones and return the meat to the sauce, or just serve the bone with the meat on them with the sauce.
• Serve the sauce over cooked pasta, and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
• Delicious!