RAGÙ

Originating from Italy, Ragù is a meat based sauce which is typically served with pasta.

Whether you are using ground up meat for a Bolognese, or a tougher cut like short rib, even shoulder - the main premise is to chuck it all in a pot with a Sofritto (diced onions,carrot and celery - the base for may Italian dishes) and simmer very gently with wine, aromatics, and of course tomato sauce. Obviously tougher cuts will take longer to cook, but will result in a richer sauce, and more tender meat. Pair it up with some bucatini, pappardelle, tagliatelle - or any longer pasta (polenta would be amazing as well) and you got yourself an Italian fiesta! (To be quite fair though, any pasta would work, since it's gonna suck up all of that lovely sauce anyway)

I know, I know - I already had a form of pasta this week, but I honestly can't help it - I could eat it all day everyday. Like even without a sauce, just plain pasta, seriously.

I recommend this comfort food for any lazy weekend/day off, since it does take up a minimum of 3hrs cooking time. Buuuuuuuuut, trust me - you won't regret it.

It's also one of those dishes which doesn't require your constant attention, since the main work is just chopping everything up and searing it. Once you add the liquids, you can check on it every 30-45 min., while giving it a little stir or two. The heck, even stay in your PJ's the whole time that its cooking, so once its time to eat up, you can just serve it in a deep dish with a spoon and get back under your blanket. Or, invite some friends over and prepare that fiesta I mentioned above, you'll impress without a doubt! Now let's get crackin', I'm hungry.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4, a very hungry 3)

400 - 450g pork shoulder (use short ribs if you can, my butcher ran out,so I grabbed
shoulder)
500g pasta of your choice (I'm using fresh tagliatelle)
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, grated
2 celery stalks
2 garlic cloves, chopped
200 ml red wine, approx. (use the wine that you like to drink if you can)
1 can whole or crushed tomatoes (yields to 425ml)
1 - 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 bay leaf (dried or fresh, whatever you have on hand)
1 fresh rosemary sprig (left whole, so don't pull off the leaves, leave everything as is)
2 fresh oregano sprigs (one left whole, the other one stripped - using only the leaves,use dried if you can't get a hold of the fresh)
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Allrightyyyyy then!

Since this is a pretty easy recipe, the only effort really is to prepare everything ahead.

As the French call it, "Mise en place" - literally translating to "putting in place", or setting up all your ingredients before you start off with the cooking process.

Chop the onions, celery & garlic, and grate your carrot. Since the sauce will bubble away for at least 3hrs, please don't worry about chopping them all evenly... The more imperfect, the better!

Once you got your Sofritto chopped, you can move on to the meat. Since I'm using shoulder, I cut mine into thicker strips, so that I can sear the meat more evenly. Season generously with salt. (We'll add the pepper later, so it doesn't burn)

Searing the meat is one of the most important steps in this recipe. The more you brown your meat, the more flavour it starts to develop - you essentially want a Maillard reaction. Under the presence of heat, browning starts to occur - the amino acids and reducing sugars start to develop essential flavours for specific foods. That is why my friends, we need that sear on the meat. We want ALL of those lovely brown bits which stick to the bottom of the pan - that's where all the flavour is! But hey, just be careful not to burn it.

Therefore, start with a high heat and some olive oil. You'll notice it will start to smoke, which is because the olive oil has a lower smoke point then other oils. Nevertheless, we still want something to help the meat not to stick, but provide with at least some flavour. Place your meat into the pot, and leave it alone. It will sizzle like crazy, but that's what you want.

Don't be tempted to touch just yet, we want that nice brown colour to develop. After about roughly 2-3 minutes, flip on the other side to brown evenly.

Once browned, set aside and chuck in your onion, celery and carrot. Season and stir for a minute, then add the garlic. When the veggies become translucent, add in your wine. Deglazing will ensure that you scrap all of those brown bits from the bottom of the pan, back into the sauce. Stir and wait for approx. 2 minutes for the alcohol to evaporate. This can be smelled immediately once the wine is chucked in. At first, you get a strong waft of alcohol, but as it starts to evaporate, you will start to smell the true flavour compounds of the wine. You can then follow up with your tomatoes, balsamic, fresh aromatics, and pepper. Give it a stir, and fill your tomato can half full with some water to nicely clean it up. Then chuck that water in the pot, and submerge your meat into the sauce. At this point, you want to lower the heat to low, so that the sauce is gently bubbling away. Cover with a lid and leave to simmer gently for at least 3hrs. The longer you cook it, the better it gets really.

Check on it every 30-45 minutes, to see if it needs a tiny bit more water, and if the temperature is right. You don't want it to boil at any point, since it will toughen the meat.

Before serving, cook up your pasta. You can either mix it all together, or pour the Ragù over the freshly cooked pasta. The sauce is usually finished off with a splash of milk to bring it all together. If you have some laying around in the fridge, add it in and stir to combine.

Allora amici, your Ragù is done!