Beef ragù is one of those rich and delicious meals that is perfect for a Saturday evening at home, served with a rocket and parmesan side salad and a large glass (or two!) of red.
I've tried making this dish with less red wine and some beef stock, but for me it just doesn't have the richness that a robust ragù should have - however it's easy enough to swap around the quantities if you want to try it with the stock.
I usually serve the ragù as it is, straight from the casserole, but you can use a couple of forks to shred the meat into the sauce before serving.
Try and be patient and leave the ragù
to cool, after taking it out of the oven. Remove the lid and try and resist serving it for good 5-10 minutes (or even a bit longer) , or the heat will mask the lovely flavours.
Serves 4-6
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 onions
2 celery sticks
2 carrots
2 cloves of garlic
2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
700g diced braising steak/beef
350ml red wine
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoon of sun-dried tomato paste
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of dried sage
Seasoning
Pappardelle
Parmesan
Basil
- Heat the oven to 160°C.
- Peel the onions, carrots and garlic.
- Finely chop the onions, carrots and celery (see 2nd image for sizing guide).
- Strip the rosemary leaves from their stems and finely dice.
- Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a heatproof, lidded, casserole over a low to medium heat.
- Once the oil is up to temperature, add the chopped vegetables and rosemary.
- Crush or grate the garlic into the pan and stir well to combine.
- Continue to sauté the vegetables until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Add the diced beef to the pan and increase the heat to medium. Stir until the beef is sealed.
- Now add the chopped tomatoes, dried herbs, wine and sun-dried tomato paste. Season well then stir to combine.
- Increase the heat and bring the ragu up to the boil, then cover and place in the hot oven for 2½-3 hours until the meat is tender.
- Serve with pappardelle and grated parmesan,
