Best Italian Beef Ragù Recipes

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND BEEF RAGU RECIPE - (4/5)

Steps:

• Heat 1½ tbsp oil over high heat in a large heavy based pot. Add the beef and sausage. Cook, breaking it up as you go, until browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove into a bowl. Heat remaining 1½ tbsp oil in the pot and reduce heat to medium low. Add garlic, onion, carrot and celery. Saute gently for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add cooked meat back into the pot along with the remaining Ragu ingredients. Turn heat up and mix to combine. Bring to simmer, then turn the heat down so it is bubbling gently (refer to the video, at 50 seconds). Cover and cook for 2½ hours, stirring once or twice. Remove from heat and remove the lid. The amount of liquid reduces as it cools, you will be surprised, so don't be tempted to return it to the stove without the lid! :) SLOW COOKER: At step 3, transfer everything into a slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, and cook the last 30 minutes or so with the lid off the reduce. To Serve Bring a very large pot of salted water to a rapid boil. Add pasta and cook until just al dente - cooked but still quite firm (I usually go for 2 minutes less than cook time per packet). Meanwhile, heat a large, deep fry pan over medium high heat. Add about 2½ cups of ragu, bring to simmer. Use tongs to transfer pasta straight from the pot to the fry pan PLUS ½ cup of pasta cooking water. Toss gently (I use 2 wooden spatulas) for 1 minute or until the sauce reduces, by which time the sauce will thicken, be glossy, and stick to the pasta. Serve immediately, garnished with Parmigiano-Reggiano if using! NOTES 1. The Italian pork sausages are key to the incredible flavour and richness in this recipe. So please don't think of substituting this with the cheap BBQ sausages (the ones that are an even pink colour), please make sure you get chunky Italian sausages. By "chunky", I mean the sausages where you can see chunks of white fat in the sausages so you know it's made with real meat, not with fillers (like the cheap sausages are). Italian sausages are loaded with fab seasonings. The classic usually has fennel in it, but you can use any Italian sausages you want. I used Chili & Garlic ones once and they were fab! 2. The onion, carrot and celery is a holy trinity referred to as Soffitto. Use a 2:1:1 ratio i.e. The amount of carrots and celery should each be ½ the amount of onion. Or put another way, when you combine the carrots and celery, it should be about the same amount as the onion. 3. My personal opinion for slow cooked dishes like this where wine is not the star ingredient is that you don't need to use an expensive one. Any deep coloured red wine will be fine, just don't use a pinot or rose. I used a Merlot. All the alcohol cooks out so it is perfectly safe for kids so I really urge you to stick to the recipe if you can. But if you can't consume alcohol, you can substitute with non alcoholic red wine or (next best substitute) more beef stock. 4. Better quality (i.e.: more expensive) canned tomatoes tend to be sweeter. So if you feel the sauce is a bit sour, just add a bit of sugar (white or brown), 1 tsp at a time until the sauce is to your taste. 5. As a rule of thumb: 2.5oz/80g dried pasta per person + ¾ cup of ragu per person. To make this for 1 to 3 people, use ½ cup of pasta cooking water, for 4 to 5 people, use ¾ cup. 6. This makes loads. :-) Enough for 8 to 10 people, and it freezes brilliantly. Once it cools, it would also be fabulous to use for lasagna!

BOBBY FLAY'S BEEF RAGù WITH FETTUCCINE IS ITALIAN COMFORT FOOD AT ITS BEST

Steps:

• Preparation For the fresh fettuccine: 1. Combine the flour, eggs and yolk in a food processor and pulse until a dough comes together. Transfer to a counter dusted lightly with flour and knead gently until the dough comes together and is smooth, about 1 minute. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. 2. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Using your hands, flatten and shape one piece of dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Dust it lightly with flour and pass it through the widest setting on the pasta machine. If the dough comes out oddly shaped, reform into a rectangle. Fold it in thirds, like a letter, and if necessary, flatten it to a 1/2-inch thickness. 3. Pass it through the widest setting again with the seam of the letter perpendicular to the rollers. Repeat this folding and rolling step 10 to 12 times, dusting the dough with flour if it becomes sticky. 4. Without folding the dough, pass it through the next setting on the pasta machine. Keep reducing the space between the rollers after each pass, lightly dusting the pasta with flour on both sides each time, until the pasta is about 1/16-inch thick and 3 inches wide. 5. Lay the sheet of rolled-out dough on a counter and cover with a dish towel. Roll out the remaining dough. Cut each strip of dough into 11-inch lengths. Cut the dough into fettuccine. For the beef ragù: 1. Place the porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with boiling water and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain the mushrooms through a fine mesh strainer and reserve the strained soaking liquid. 2. Place a Dutch oven over high heat. Add oil, and heat until it is almost smoking. Add the beef and pork to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is golden-brown and rather crusty, about 10 minutes. Transfer the meat with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Reserve for the ragù. 3. Add the onion, carrot and celery to the reserved fat in the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and lightly golden, about 8 minutes. Add the crushed garlic and cook for one minute. Add the tomato paste and crushed red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds more. Add the red wine and stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Return the cooked meat to the pan. Add the tomatoes, beef stock, porcini mushrooms and their soaking liquid and the bay leaf. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to a low simmer and let cook for 90 minutes. To cook the pasta: Fill a large pot with water and add a few tablespoons of salt. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Stir in 1 pound of the pasta and cook until pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes. (If using dried fettuccine, follow the package instructions and cook for approximately 8 minutes). Drain pasta and reserve the pasta water. To serve: In a separate large sauté pan, ladle 2 cups of ragù into the pan. Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water and turn the heat on high. Add 4 tablespoons of butter and the cooked pasta and let cook together for 60 seconds. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano, oregano, parsley, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with more Parmigiano Reggiano and season with freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately. Related video Closed Captioning ON OFF apply | reset x Text Display Background Enhancements fontTimes New RomanArialComic Sans sizeT T T T color Bobby Flay makes ragu of beef and red wine with fresh fettucine Play Video - 6:33 (currentTime)) { %> Your video begins in Options English Off

ITALIAN BEEF RAGù

Steps:

• Cook all ingredients except tomatoes, broth and tomato paste in Dutch oven or large deep skillet on medium-high heat 15 to 20 min. or until ground beef and bacon are done, and vegetables are tender.
• Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to boil; simmer on medium-low heat 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until thickened.