Refresh your winter pasta rota with this versatile and hearty beef ragu
A good sauce typically includes a variety of meats, adding depth and richness. The choice of meat is really up to you.
The aroma of a rich, tomato ragu simmering all day on the stove makes me feel like everything is right in the world. So I was delighted to hear about the concept of Sunday Sauce from an Italian friend. He, like many Italians, has vivid memories of Sundays spent at his grandparents’ house, where the entire family gathered around a big pot of ragu that simmered all day on the stove. This is a concept I can get behind – a day in the week to celebrate pasta and ragu! For me, this day falls on a Saturday. It’s the day of the week that I love to spend pottering around the kitchen. Hence, my version of this rich tomato ragu is aptly named “Saturday Sauce”.
A good sauce typically includes a variety of meats, adding depth and richness. The choice of meat is really up to you – or, like many Italian families, whatever you have left in the fridge or is on special at the butcher. Here, I’ve opted for a mix of pork and beef, but you could use lamb and beef or beef only, each bringing slightly different flavours. I believe sausages are a must, for the texture and flavour they provide against the fall-apart meat.
For the beef, my pick is a big beef rib, though many families like to include meatballs (this is an extra step too far even for me). This sauce is perfect for feeding a crowd or, as I often do, freezing half for a rainy mid-week dinner when restoration is needed and only a hearty ragu will do.
I admit that making this sauce demands a bit of attention from you at the start, but it’s hardly demanding. Browning meat and stirring the sauce a few times throughout adds to the experience of a Saturday Sauce. I call it love cooking.
For a quicker pasta sauce, try my fabulous winter pesto.
Beef ragu pasta
I like to cook this in the oven as it’s more hands-off, but I’ve also given instructions to cook it on the stove if you prefer.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 600g pork shoulder, cut into 4cm pieces
- 800g beef short rib (1 rib on the bone)
- 4 Italian pork sausages
- 1 brown onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon tomato paste
- 250ml red wine
- 700ml passata
To serve
- Fresh pappardelle, or dried short wide pasta such as rigatoni or paccheri
- Parmigiano Reggiano or parmesan, to serve
Method
- Preheat oven to 160C (150 fan forced).
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a deep, heavy-based pot over medium heat. Brown the beef short rib on each side for about 3-4 minutes until a nice crust forms. Take your time here as it’s this caramelisation that adds a great depth of flavour to the sauce. Remove and set aside.
- Add half of the pork shoulder pieces and brown on each side. Remove and repeat with the remaining pork.
- Squeeze out sausage meat into small chunks and fry that for a few minutes until golden. Remove and set aside.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pot. Add the chopped onion, carrot, garlic and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until softened and sweet but not browned. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the browned meat back into the pot.
- Pour in the red wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape any sticky bits from the bottom of the pan, and bring to a simmer.
- Finally, add the passata. Fill the passata bottle 1/3 up with water, shake it around, and pour that in too. Give everything a good stir and bring the sauce to a simmer.
- Cover with a lid and place in the centre rack in the oven. Cook for 3 hours, giving it a stir once throughout. If you prefer to keep it on the stove, reduce the heat to the lowest setting possible. Cover with a lid and let it simmer gently for 3 to 4 hours or until the meat is tender and falling apart. A stove-top ragu requires more attention, so you’ll need to stir it occasionally, about every 30 minutes, to prevent sticking. If the sauce looks too dry at any point, add ½ cup of water. If you find the meat is not yet fall-apart tender, cook for a further 30 minutes.
- When cooked, use a fork to shred the meat up into the sauce and give it all a good stir. Remove the rib bones and any pockets of fat.
- Serve tossed through hot pasta with a bit of pasta cooking water and cheese.
Serves 8-10