This Beef Ragù is "loosely" Italian-inspired. Here I've served it with potato gnocchi and tagliatelle.
Great for cosy nights in, casual get togethers and dinner parties alike.
Why? Well, it's an awesome "make ahead meal" that gets better and better the longer it sits.
Great for cosy nights in, casual get togethers and dinner parties alike.
Why? Well, it's an awesome "make ahead meal" that gets better and better the longer it sits.
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THE RECIPE:
Serves 4
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 3-4 hours
Ingredients:
- 450g (1lb.) braising or stewing steak* (such as chuck, shin, silverside, etc.)
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 medium carrot, finely diced
- 1 stalk (rib) of celery, finely diced
- 15g (½ oz.) dried porcinis, soaked in 500ml/2 cups of warm water
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 3 cloves
- a few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 3 fat garlic cloves, finely minced (optional)
- 1 Tbsp tomato purée (paste)
- Approx. 250ml (1 cup) of red wine (use less if you like)
- 400g (14oz.) tinned tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp orange marmalade
- a large handful of fresh parsley or basil leaves, finely chopped or torn
- salt and pepper, to taste
Substitutes:
- Instead of a cinnamon stick, use ¼-½ tsp of ground cinnamon, to taste*
- White wine or cider instead of red wine
- If you don't want to use alcohol, just use 1 tablespoon of balsamic or red wine vinegar
- Substitute the fresh thyme with another fresh herb like oregano, marjoram, rosemary, etc. or use dried herbs
- Use juice and zest of ½ orange as opposed to orange marmalade
* You shouldn't taste cinnamon in the final dish. It's only there to add depth.
ADDITIONAL SIDE-NOTE:
I don't like the taste of red wine on its own so I can't offer any recommendations on what kind to choose.
I think it's important to find a wine that you like using in ragù - different wines have different effects on the final flavour.
FINAL NOTE:
If you know how to and/or are confident dicing up your onion, carrot, celery and garlic then skip Step 3-5.
Serves 4
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 3-4 hours
Ingredients:
- 450g (1lb.) braising or stewing steak* (such as chuck, shin, silverside, etc.)
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 medium carrot, finely diced
- 1 stalk (rib) of celery, finely diced
- 15g (½ oz.) dried porcinis, soaked in 500ml/2 cups of warm water
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 3 cloves
- a few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 3 fat garlic cloves, finely minced (optional)
- 1 Tbsp tomato purée (paste)
- Approx. 250ml (1 cup) of red wine (use less if you like)
- 400g (14oz.) tinned tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp orange marmalade
- a large handful of fresh parsley or basil leaves, finely chopped or torn
- salt and pepper, to taste
Substitutes:
- Instead of a cinnamon stick, use ¼-½ tsp of ground cinnamon, to taste*
- White wine or cider instead of red wine
- If you don't want to use alcohol, just use 1 tablespoon of balsamic or red wine vinegar
- Substitute the fresh thyme with another fresh herb like oregano, marjoram, rosemary, etc. or use dried herbs
- Use juice and zest of ½ orange as opposed to orange marmalade
* You shouldn't taste cinnamon in the final dish. It's only there to add depth.
ADDITIONAL SIDE-NOTE:
I don't like the taste of red wine on its own so I can't offer any recommendations on what kind to choose.
I think it's important to find a wine that you like using in ragù - different wines have different effects on the final flavour.
FINAL NOTE:
If you know how to and/or are confident dicing up your onion, carrot, celery and garlic then skip Step 3-5.
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More Info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maillard_reaction
The two solutions that come to mind are either:
- use a flavoursome stock (beef is the most commonly used)
- or add in ¼ lb. of chicken livers, finely chopped (if you can get them).
To be honest, I doubt he’ll be able to see the mushrooms in the finished dish. Only the carrots keep their structure; the other veggies melt into the sauce. But I appreciate that he might see you preparing/cooking them.
But please don't worry about tweaking the recipe for your/your husband's convenience. It’s just a guideline. :)
Thanks for commenting! I hope my answer helps. =D
Yeah sorry - I should have made that clearer. Those are potato gnocchi and in the other photo I used tagliatelle. :)
Oooh... tough question! ;)
I don't know about better... but I personally prefer it with gnocchi - it creates a nice contrast to the dish plus it looks more presentable on the plate.
Yes they are indeed gnocchi.
Deer camp? Sound intriguing! Glad to be of help...
Brilliant - can't wait to hear how it goes...