Pappardelle with Beef Ragu
Pappardelle con Ragu
This is a classic dish served all over Italy. I have used beef ribs, but you could use osso buco or blade instead, as long as it has a bone so that it imparts its delectable meaty goodness. This is a sauce that you put on in the morning and let simmer all day… the house smells so inviting and you’ll be salivating while waiting for the feast in the evening…. a great Sunday night dinner on a rainy day.
Recipe
Serves 6 hungry people
Ingredients
Olive oil
4 beef ribs
1 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves grated or minced
1 cup of red wine
1 cup of good quality beef stock
1 bottle of tomato passata
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper to season
500g of pappardelle
Italian parmigiano cheese
Method
Pour a good lug of olive oil in a large solid saucepan (about 3 tablespoons)
Brown the ribs on all sides and take out to rest on a tray
Gently cook the onions, then add the garlic - careful not to burn the garlic (add a little more oil if needed)
Add the red wine and burn off the alcohol, add the stock, passata, tinned tomatoes, bay leaves, rosemary and some salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a simmer
Add the beef ribs back into sauce
Cover with a lid and let it simmer away for at least 6 hours
By this time the meat will be falling off the bone. Take the meat out of the sauce and shred into pieces using two forks. Then put the shredded meat back into the sauce - which by now should have reduced into a lovely, thicker consistency
Now you can boil the pappardelle. When al dente, drain the pasta - saving little of the pasta water.
In a saucepan, mix the drained pasta, a little of the saved water and a few tablespoons of the sauce into the entire pasta. Then put the lightly coated pasta onto plates and serve with a big helping of the ragu. Grate some parmigianno cheese on top