serves
8
prep
15 minutes
cook
2:15 hours
difficulty
Easy
serves
8
people
preparation
15
minutes
cooking
2:15
hours
difficulty
Easy
level
The beauty of 'low and slow' meals is that you can transform a cheaper cut of meat like beef shin into something completely delectable and sophisticated. This ragu basically turns your spag bol into spag bol 2.0.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
- 1.5 kg braising steak (beef shin or cheek is especially delicious), cut into large pieces
- 1½ tbsp plain flour
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 thyme sprigs
- 250 ml white wine
- 2 x 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- Squidge of tomato purée
- 100 ml full-fat milk
- 400 g dried pappardelle
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and black pepper
- Parmesan or pecorino shavings, to serve
Instructions
1. Heat half the oil in a large shallow casserole over a medium–high heat while you season the beef and dust it in the flour. Shake off any excess and add the beef to the casserole in batches, browning it on all sides. Remove from the casserole with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Add the remaining oil to the casserole and fry the onion, carrot and celery for 5–6 minutes until softened, then add the garlic, bay leaves, thyme sprigs and white wine. Bubble for 2–3 minutes then return the beef to the casserole with the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée and milk. Season well.
3. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for 2 hours, adding a splash of water or chicken stock if it starts to look too dry. The beef should be lovely and tender and give when you push it with the back of a spoon.
4. When the cooking time is almost up, cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 8–10 minutes or until al dente then drain and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Shred the meat into the sauce then serve the ragu on top of the pasta, scattered with lots of shavings of Parmesan or pecorino.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
The beauty of 'low and slow' meals is that you can transform a cheaper cut of meat like beef shin into something completely delectable and sophisticated. This ragu basically turns your spag bol into spag bol 2.0.
