Ragu

World Cup, Day 3 - Italy

Ragu

Day 3 of the World Cup. Day 2 proved a shock as Spain were hammered by a fresh looking Dutch side and refereeing errors almost denied Mexico a win. The paella went down a treat with all the family (you can't have paella for two!). Today's menu was more difficult. I love Italian food. I cook Italian several times a week, so what to choose? I settled on a ragu (meat sauce). In Ireland we know this as 'bolognese sauce' but that's just one type of ragu. This is my version - the 'Kinneagh Kitchen Ragu'.

The most important thing with a ragu is a strong meaty flavour. Lamb's liver gives a robustness while the roasted bones raise it another level. I usually add chopped kidney too but somebody raided the butchers before I got there! It's important to let it cook for at least 2 hours to allow all the flavours to develop.

Serves 4

500g Raw Bones (Beef or Lamb)
2 tsp Dried Oregano
5 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium Onion (finely chopped)
2 cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)
1 Chilli (finely chopped)
1 stick of Celery (finely chopped)
1 small Carrot (finely chopped)
100g Lamb's Liver (diced)
250g Beef Mince
250g Pork Mince
200ml Red Wine (Chianti if possible)
1 tbsp Tomato Puree
1 tin of San Marzano Tomatoes (or good plum tomatoes)
3 ripe Plum Tomatoes
1 Bay Leaf
50 ml Milk
400g Dried Tagliatelle Pasta
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
Parmesan or Pecorino Cheese to serve

1. Place raw bones onto a baking tray. Add 1 tbsp of the oil and 1 tsp of the oregano. Rub all over the bones and roast in a 200 degree oven for 1 hour. Set aside.

2. Heat the remaining oil in a sauce pan over a medium heat and add the onion, garlic, chilli, celery and carrot. Season well and cook for 7-10 minutes until softened but not coloured. Add liver and mince and brown all over. Season and add the wine. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon and cook for 5-7 minutes to burn off the alcohol. Add the tomato puree and let it sit for 1 minute before stirring well.

3. Meanwhile chop the tinned tomatoes and remove any hard tops. Chop off the top of the ripe tomatoes and dice. Add all the tomatoes including the juice from the tin to the pan and bring to the boil. Season and add the roasted bones, the remaining 1 tsp of oregano and bay leaf. Stir well, turn down the heat, cover with a lid and simmer for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add some boiling water if it gets too dry.

4. Approx. 10 minutes from the end, bring 4 litres of water to the boil in a large pan. Add approx. 20g of salt and return to the boil before adding the pasta. Stir and cook until al dente (8-10 minutes). Drain the pasta and set aside. Remove the bones and bay leaf from the ragu and add milk. Stir well before tipping in the pasta. Mix everything together before serving with gratings of Parmesan or Pecorino cheese on top.

Ragu Pie

Leftover Ragu Pie

A good ragu is a beautiful thing; different meats stewed for hours with a little tomato to create a rich and delicious sauce. In Ireland this isn't usually the case. Here we tend to put in a bit of beef mince, a jar or two of (insert your favourite brand here) bolognese sauce and give it a half hour on the stove. We then add it to overcooked spaghetti and because spaghetti can't hold a thick sauce, we're left with a giant puddle of something that tastes like a very sweet tomato sauce with a little mince going through it. Try this instead:

Heat a good glug of extra-virgin olive oil over a medium heat and add a finely chopped onion. Cook for 2 minutes before adding a finely chopped carrot, a finely chopped chilli and a finely chopped stick of celery. Season well and cook for 5-7 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add 400 g of beef mince, 200 g of lamb mince, 200 g of pork mince and 2 finely chopped lamb kidneys. Season and brown all over before adding a glass of good red wine. Cook for 5 minutes and add 500 g of tomato passata and a teaspoon of dried oregano. Cover, reduce the heat and cook for 2-3 hours.

This will give you a delicious and deep flavoured ragu. Serve with tagliatelle or some penne pasta that will hold the sauce. Italians reckon 100g of pasta is enough per person but they generally have a couple of courses so I think for safety, if its the only course, I'd allow 120g per person.

Invariably, no matter how many have to be fed, I'm always left with plenty of leftover ragu. It's so filling that you don't need to serve massive portions; enough to coat the pasta is perfect. I've been thinking of ways to use up leftover ragu and a somewhat obvious Shepherd's Pie came to mind. It's not the same as the lamb filling but I thought it might be a nice change and it would create another substantial dish to feed many. If you only have a little ragu left don't worry; even a thin layer will be sufficient.



Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Peel as many sweet potatoes as you need and boil in lightly salted water until tender. Drain, season well and mash adding about half a glass of milk (or cream if you prefer) as you do so. Check for seasoning and add extra salt/pepper if required. Lightly oil a baking dish (one that you'd use for a Lasagna or a Shepherd's Pie will be perfect) and spread the ragu evenly over the base. Add a layer of Parma ham/prosciutto on top of the ragu and spread the sweet potato mash over the prosciutto. Flatten with a fork, creating little peaks as you go. Sprinkle plenty of pepper over the top and place in the oven to cook for 30-40 mins. Serve with good crusty bread.

This pie can be adapted to your own taste. Feel free to add a layer of Parmesan cheese after the prosciutto or swap the sweet potatoes for normal potatoes if you prefer. I didn't give exact quantities here as it depends how much ragu you have left. A thick layer is great but as I said above, a thin layer of ragu is fine, the rest can be made up with the sweet potato; its probably healthier!

Ragu

Ragu

(Meat Sauce)

Ragu with homemade Pasta

As a boy, my first introduction to Italian food was probably through the infamous "Spaghetti Bolognese." The long strands of pasta covered in a rich tomato sauce with beef mince and usually a few mushrooms (although, my mam would always remove them from mine!) always got me very excited and remains one of my favourite dishes today. It still imparts that warm, comforting feeling, especially when served with some Garlic Bread and a nice sprinkling of Parmesan Cheese.

As I began to start cooking, it was with great surprise that I learned that "Spaghetti Bolognese" does not exist in Italy and is more of a British/American adaption of an Italian classic. I began to look for more traditional Italian recipes and it was then that I realised that we have it all wrong. In this part of the world the Ragu is a tomato sauce containing meat, it should be a meat sauce containing tomato. The pasta should not be Spaghetti, the long strands cannot hold onto a meat sauce properly, try Tagliatelle or even Pappardelle instead, it holds together much better. Penne could also be substituted instead as the tubes are great for holding the meat!

Having made this dish more than any other, I've tried numerous recipes and techniques and this is the recipe I've come up with to take the best of them all and give a delicious, rich Ragu. The use of the two different meats is extremely common in Italy and really enhances the flavour while the addition of cream right at the end brings out the richness of this wonderful sauce. Enjoy!

Serves 4

*4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Ragu topped with Parmesan

*1/2 Onion (finely chopped)

*1 Carrot (finely chopped)

*1 Stick Celery (finely chopped)

*5 Streaky Rashers (chopped)

*350g Pork Mince

*350g Stewing Beef

*180ml Red Wine

*600g Ripe Tomatoes (crushed)

*2 Bay Leaves

*125ml Cream

*Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

To Serve:

*550g Tagliatelle/Pappardelle (cooked al dente)

*3 Ciabatta Rolls (cut into chunks)

*Parmesan Cheese (freshly grated)

Ragu alla Bolognese in Bologna

1. Saute the Onion, Carrot and Celery in the Oil over medium heat for 7 minutes or until soft. Add the Rashers and brown before adding the rest of the meat. Season well with Salt and Pepper and brown well, stirring all the time.

2. Add the Red Wine and allow to evaporate before adding the Tomatoes. Stir well and season. Cover and simmer for 15-20 mins, stirring occasionally, until the Tomatoes begin to break down.

3. Add the Bay Leaves and stir well. Cover and simmer for 2-3 hours on a low heat, stirring occasionally. Add the Cream and stir, remove the Bay Leaves. Add the Pasta to the saucepan and return to the heat for 1 minute stirring constantly.

4. Serve with plenty of Grated Parmesan sprinkled on top and with plenty of good Ciabatta to mop up the sauce.

Variations

This works as a great base recipe to add plenty of your own ideas to. It's not very traditional but I love to add some chopped sweet peppers with the veg at the start and sometimes a red chilli can give it some real depth. The addition of a teaspoon or two of worcestershire sauce can also add alot and lets not forget the Irish favourite....mushrooms! You can also swap out the tomatoes for about 500g of tomato passata if you prefer a smother sauce and dont be afraid to add a bit of torn Basil if you have it lying around. There's so much you can do with a Ragu, go wild!