Lamb Ragu Rigatoni
I don’t eat loads of meat on a regular basis. I like to keep my home-cooked meals as veggie as possible and treat myself to meat when eating out. On the rare occasion that I cook a red meat at home, it’s almost always lamb. Obviously, meats- especially reds are known to be quite unsustainable and not the healthiest for us, but eating it on an occasion isn’t terrible. I recommend finding a reliable butcher or farmer near you that sells pasture raised/slow food/organic/local animal products, so that even if you’re eating meat, it’s the better option.
In the ingredients I wrote down the amount in grams and cups- to make it even easier for you, its essentially 1 carrot, 1 small celery stalk, and 1 medium onion. Even if you’re off with the ratios this ragu is basically fool and fail-proof. Obviously, you can also use any pasta shape you like, this is just what I prefer.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1.5-2 hours
Serves 3-4 people
Ingredients:
250g lamb shoulder
⅓ cup (40g) carrot, sliced finely
⅓ cup (40g) celery, sliced finely
½ cup (50g) onion, sliced finely
2 large garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp chili flakes (optional)
¼ cup (45ml) red wine
1 cup (210ml) passata
1 cup(200ml) water
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
500g rigatoni
1 cup or less pasta cooking liquid
Parmesan, to garnish
Salt, pepper, oil
Method:
1. Pat dry and season the lamb with salt and pepper
2. Into a pot on medium high heat, add some oil and sear the lamb pieces until all sides have browned - you are not cooking the lamb through, only searing the surface.Remove pieces and put aside into a bowl.
3. In the same pot, add carrot, celery, onion, season with salt. Sweat the vegetables until they soften and the onions become translucent. Add in the garlic and chili flakes. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to lift up any browned bits - they add lots of flavour to the dish.
4. Once the vegetables have softened and the garlic becomes fragrant, add the wine and let it reduce completely. Transfer the lamb back into the pot.
5. Add passata, water and thyme. Increase the heat up to high, bring the mix to a boil, cover with a lid, and bring the heat to low. Let cook for 1.5 hours.
6. After simmering for 1.5hrs, take the lid off, and take the pot off the heat. Pull apart the pieces of lamb with a fork, they should be tender and willing to fall apart. Taste the sauce and season with salt to taste. If you want the sauce to be of thicker consistency, put the pot back on high heat and let it reduce to your desired consistency.
7. Pour your rigatoni in a pot of boiling salted water, cook it 2 minutes under the amount of time indicated on the package.
8. When the pasta is 2 minutes under the amount of time indicated on the package, scoop out 1 cup of pasta cooking liquid, then drain pasta.
9. On medium heat, add pasta into sauce, mix-making sure that everything is properly coated. Add in a few tablespoons of the pasta water into the mix until the sauce and water emulsify and create a nice consistency. Serve with parmesan.