Beef Ragù

This recipe credit is owed to a dear friend of mine (p.s. check out @thetipseemouse for Disney adventures). We had a dinner date recently, and she said she was thinking of making beef ragù. As a pasta person, of course I was on board for this. It was a lovely evening of friends and watching children run around. Oh! Back to the meal. I loved it so much, I had her share the recipe so I could do exactly what I'm doing now.

Beef ragu is one of those really interesting dishes built out of the ashes of war. The tactical master Napoleon invaded Italy in 1796, leading French forces into the country to drive out Austrian and Sardinian forces. During this occupation, cultures were blended, naturally. War is an ugly thing, but it's always fascinating to me how there are ripple effects hundreds of years later, as evidenced by dishes like this.

According to a blog post on Pasta Evangelists (my new favorite website name), ragù was created by a Italian chef Alberto Alvisi in the 18th century, influenced by the French dish ragoût. Ragù is different across Italy, with different cities tweaking the recipe. At it's core, the dish is a meat slowly braised in wine or tomato sauce, with served with pasta.

I started with a chuck roast that was just under 3 pounds. Other slow-cooking cuts will work as well, but this had nice marbling and spoke to me.

I divided the beef into roughly even quadrangles, then seared them on high heat in some cooking oil until all sides were browned. This wasn't to cook throughout, just to add some flavor to the steak. Searing meat causes a chemical reaction between sugars and amino acids, resulting in a flavor that is friendly to the palate.

I removed the meat from the pan and set it aside, then added more cooking oil to the pan and added my onion and garlic. After sautéing for about 3 minutes, I added my celery and carrots to the pan and continued cooking for about 5 minutes.

Next, I added the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, bouillon, wine, water, thyme and bay leaves. I heated this to a simmer, then lowered the heat. I returned the beef back to the pan and covered it, leaving it to cook for 2-3 hours.

After about 3.5 hours, the beef could be shredded with a fork, so I removed it from the sauce.

I shredded the roast and returned it to the pan.

For the next part, there's a few options. When you cook the pasta, you will have starchy water. Don't get rid of it! That's a great thickener. You can either spoon out a few cups of the Ragu and add some pasta water to thicken it, or you can mix a cup of starchy water into the pot, let it simmer, and stir for a few minutes while it thickens.

Let's get to flavor: Fantastico! I've never thought to put celery in a pasta dish, but really, celery is a neutral veggie. It's perfect for soups, and logically makes sense in a tomato sauce. 

I was very happy with the rich, hearty flavor, and loved the shredded meat.

Making this dish will definitely showcase your cooking skills. Talk to to your guest about Napoleon. Bring all that expertise to the table. Though this one has sophisticated flavors, you don't need to be a trained chef to take this slow cooked wonder on.

Beef Ragù Recipe

Ingredients:

2.5-3 pounds chuck beef (or other slow cooking beef cut, cut into equal 4 pieces (Note 1)

2 teaspoons salt

1-2 teaspoons black pepper

3 tablespoons cooking oil (I used avocado)

3 teaspoons minced garlic (3 cloves)

1 cup pearl onions (or 1 onion, diced

2 carrots, diced (or 1 cup shredded carrots)

2 stalks of celery, diced (about 1 cup)

1 large can crushed canned tomatoes (28 ounces)

1 can tomato paste (6 ounces)

2 beef bouillon cubes

1 cup red wine (I used shiraz)

1 1/2 cups water (Note 3)

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

3 dried bay leaves

2 cups cooked pasta (see instructions)

Instructions:

Cut beef into four pieces, equal in size. Season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil in a large heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Sear pieces, using tongs to rotate, until all sides are browned. This should take about 5 minutes. Remove meat from pan and set aside. Lower heat to medium low and add remaining cooking oil. Add garlic and onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until garlic is fragrant. Add the carrots and celery and continue sautéing for an additional 3-5 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, bouillon, wine, water, thyme and bay leaves. Heat to a simmer, then turn to low. Add beef back to the pan and cover. Cook for 2.5-3.5 hours (adjust depending on the size of the cut of beef), until beef can be easily shredded with a fork. Remove beef and shred, then return meat to pot. Simmer for 30 minutes until sauce has reduced and thickened. Prepare pasta during this time. After pasta is cooked, reserve 1 cup of the starchy water. Gradually mix this into the sauce, using it as a thickener. You can also separate some sauce and heat it in a saucepan, gradually mixing in a small amount of pasta water.

adapted from beef ragu and pasta