Have you ever made lamb ragu?
Kelly Rossiter
Weekday Vegetarian: 5 Vegetarian Dishes and Lamb Ragu
Here are 5 weekday vegetarian meal suggestions for the upcoming week:
If you are going to eat meat once or twice a week, you want to make that meal worth your while. This recipe fits the bill admirably. Go to a good butcher and get yourself an organic piece of lamb shoulder. Then you have to give yourself some time to make this dish because there is a marinating time of at least two hours and you have to cook the dish for another two hours. Trust me, this is really worth the time you put into it.
I think this sauce is the closest I've made to something you would get in a restaurant. By the time the sauce was ready to eat the lamb was so tender that it practically melted on the tongue. It's quite a rich dish and a little bit goes a long way, but it was incredibly delicious. I'm glad I made the extra effort of making my own pasta for it as well. It's not something I would make often, but I would definitely make it for an elegant dinner party.
I used my roasted red peppers rather than fresh peppers and it worked out extremely well.
Lamb Ragu
2 lbs boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed of fat and sinew, cut into 2.5cm dice
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup of olive oil, plus more for cooking
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp of dried chili flakes
2 bay leaves
1 cup dry white wine
1 can of whole plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
cooked pasta for 4
1/3 cup of freshly shaved Parmesan cheese
1. Combine lamb with 1/4 cup olive oil, ½ tsp of sea salt and ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper in a non-reactive bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.
2. Heat oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat, add garlic, chili flakes and bay leaves, cook while stirring for 1 minute. Turn the heat to high and add lamb, stirring occasionally until brown for 3-4 minutes each side.
3. Add white white and cook until it's almost evaporated, or for about 8-10 minutes.
4. Add chopped plum tomatoes and juices, tomato paste and finely sliced peppers. Cover with a lid, reduce heat to low and cook for 2 hours. Stir ragu occasionally and add a little extra water if the liquid dries out.
5. About half way through cooking, taste the ragu and add a little salt if necessary. After two hours of cooking, remove the saucepan from the stove and allow the ragu to cool slightly. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the lamb chunks from the saucepan onto a clean chopping board. Use two forks to shred the tender meat then place it back into the saucepan. Add chopped parsley and stir well. Set aside while you cook the pasta.
6. Meanwhile cook pasta according to directions on package. Toss pasta with lamb ragu and serve immediately with freshly shaved Parmesan cheese.
Difficulty Level: Easy
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