Lamb Ragù
In my opinion there is nothing better on a cold winter evening than ragù. The type of ragù which simmers on the stove all day and fills your house with wonderful smells. While there is some initial effort involved, time is the heavy lifter. It transforms mere vegetables and meat into something ethereal and all that is required is the occasional stir.
Of all the ragùs in all the kitchens, this recipe is my favourite. It is elegant enough to serve at a dinner party and look like you fussed. It can also be made completely in advance and just reheated.
I have made this recipe with both ground lamb and whole pieces of lamb which I cubed. The latter is actually my favourite. If using whole pieces of lamb, cut up the lamb to 1-2 inch pieces. The cooking time will need to be adjusted. I simmered the lamb for an additional hour and then shredded it with two forks.
This ragù can be served with any short pasta with indentations that will help soak up the sauce. I usually use mafalda corta, a short ruffled pasta. However I used a tubed pasta in the photographs taken here [that is what was in my pantry!].
Lamb Ragù
Adapted only slightly from Fine Cooking
Serves 8
4 cups homemade or lower-salt chicken broth
12 whole black peppercorns
3 whole star anise
2 oz. (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil; more for drizzling
3 medium carrots, cut into small dice (about 3/4 cup)
3 medium celery ribs, cut into small dice (about 3/4 cup)
1 small onion, cut into small dice (about 3/4 cup)
Kosher salt
2 lb. ground lamb or lamb pieces cut up into 1-2 inch cubes [See note above]
1 cup dry white wine
¼ cup tomato paste
3 sprigs each (about 6 inches long) fresh parsley, rosemary, and thyme, tied together with kitchen string
1-1/2 lb. dried or 1-3/4 lb. fresh short, ruffled pasta
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
Grated pecorino romano, for serving
In a 2-quart saucepan, bring the broth, peppercorns, and star anise to a boil. Remove from the heat and let steep at least 30 minutes.
In a 6- to 7-quart heavy-duty pot, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as needed, until tender, about 10 minutes.
Push the vegetables to one side, increase the heat to medium high, and add the lamb. Season the lamb with 1/2 tsp. salt and let briefly sit undisturbed until somewhat browned. Cook, stirring occasionally, to combine with the vegetables, until the lamb no longer looks raw, about 10 minutes.
Add the wine and tomato paste and stir gently to combine. Simmer until the wine is absorbed, about 3 minutes (the meat will still look wet). Through a fine-mesh sieve, strain 3 cups of the broth into the pot. Add the herb bundle. (Reserve the remaining 1 cup broth.)
Cook, uncovered, over very low heat, stirring only occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the flavours are fully developed, at least 2 hours. If the liquid evaporates too quickly, add a little of the reserved broth. Remove the herb bundle; any rosemary leaves in the ragù will have softened and are good to eat. At this point, the sauce can be cooled and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Refrigerate or freeze the remaining broth for reheating and serving.
When ready to serve, reheat the ragù, if necessary; it should be thick and fluid, but not dry. Add more of the reserved broth, if necessary. Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the pasta to al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain. Return the pasta to the pot or transfer to a warm bowl. Gently toss the pasta with about 1 cup of the ragù, adding 1/3 cup of the reserved cooking water to moisten the pasta. Add more ragù and pasta water to coat the pasta well.
Divide the pasta among warm bowls and ladle a small amount of the remaining ragù on top of each. Top with a little olive oil, a sprinkle of cheese, and a tiny pinch of the flaky salt.