Six hour ragu

At a recent visit to Padella in Borough Market, amongst the outstanding pasta dishes was one I had to try and make myself. The 6 hour shin ragu with pappardelle  was gorgeous and just the kind of hearty but classy meal I adore.

So back home I got myself some deep red shin. It's a cheap cut so needs some long cooking to get it tender. I made a sofrito, which is the base to any good ragu, and got on with some slow cooking.

I've found from experiment that good pasta needs good eggs. I'll use the best I can get but have to say I always get consistent results with Sainsbury's SO Organic ones.

Step 1 - Make a sofrito

• Finely chop the carrots, celery and onions
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan
• Add the vegetables and pancetta
• Fry long and slow over a low heat until the vegetables are melting
• This makes a great base for any ragu or pasta sauce

 

Step 2 - Make the Ragu

• Take the shin, don't bother to chop it, brown it all over in a big, heavy, ovenproof pot
• Add chopped fresh tomatoes
• Add the sofrito
• Pour in a massive glug of red wine
• Put a lid on and put in the oven at 140C all day
• Check to make sure it doesn't go dry, add some more wine or water if it does

 

Step 3 - Pasta making

• Work the eggs and flour together until you have the consistency of plasticine
• Wrap the dough in cling film and leave in the fridge for an hour
• The pasta can then be rolled and cut
• Use a pasta machine to get it super thin, and for pappardelle, cut big ribbons with a sharp knife
• Quickly dry the cut pasta by hanging in the air while you boil a large pot of salted water
• Give the ribbons a quick dunk in the boiling water- the pasta will be cooked in 2 minutes

The cooked ribbons should be quickly tossed with some grated parmesan (or similar hard cheese) before tossing it with the warm ragu. Plop it on the plate and cover with more parmesan. Enjoy!

 

Shin ragu and pappardelle

Sofrito

• Equal amounts of vegetables and half the amount of pancetta. Suggested:
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery
• 1 large onion
• 100g pancetta (if using)
• Glug of olive oil

Ragu

• 2 red shin fillets of beef
• 4 medium fresh tomatoes
• Generous glug of good red wine

Pasta (quantities per person)

• 1 medium egg
• 100 g of type 00 flour
• Fresh parmesan, grated