Slow Cooked Beef Shin Ragu with Pappardelle

• 1.2 kgbeef shin, cut into large chunks
• 400 mlbeef stock
• 2carrots, roughly chopped
• 2celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsptomato purée
• 800 gtinned chopped tomatoes
• 1 tspfreshly ground black pepper
• 2large onions, finely chopped
• 4garlic cloves, crushed
• 3sprigs fresh thyme
• 150 mlred wine
• 1½ tspsea salt
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 2bay leaves
• 400 gpappardelle
• 15 gflat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 60 gParmesan, freshly grated (optional)
• 300 grocket, dressed with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp lemon juice, plus 30 g shaved parmesan (optional)
• 1small ciabatta (optional)

Method

1. 1Pat the beef shin dry and season generously with salt and pepper on every side. Heat the olive oil in a heavy frying pan or cast iron over medium-high until it shimmers.
2. 2Brown the beef in three batches, leaving space around each piece. Don't crowd the pan; all at once and the meat sweats, water comes out, and you've boiled it instead of building that deep mahogany crust. Each batch wants 6–8 minutes for a proper sear on all sides. Transfer to the slow cooker as you go.
3. 3Drop the heat to medium and add the onions, carrots and celery to the same pan with all those caramelised stuck bits. Cook for 8–10 minutes until softened, translucent and just starting to catch at the edges, scraping the fond up as the vegetables release their moisture.
4. 4Stir in the garlic and tomato purée and cook for just 30–60 seconds until fragrant.
5. 5Pour the red wine into the pan and let it bubble fiercely for 2 minutes, scraping every brown scrap off the base. Tip the lot into the slow cooker with the beef.
6. 6Add the chopped tomatoes, beef stock, bay leaves and thyme. Stir, cover, and cook on low for 8 hours until the beef collapses under a fork.
7. 7Lift the meat onto a board and shred with two forks; it should pull apart with no resistance. Skim any excess fat from the surface, return the meat to the pot and stir through. Taste. If the sauce is loose, simmer a few ladles in a wide pan on the hob for 10–15 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon, then stir back in.
8. 8Salt the pasta water generously; it should taste lively and well balanced. Season the pappardelle itself. Cook until just al dente, then drain, reserving a mugful of the starchy water.
9. 9Toss the pappardelle through several generous ladles of ragu, loosening with splashes of pasta water until every ribbon is glossy and thoroughly coated.
10. 10Pile onto warmed plates and spoon extra shredded beef over the top. Scatter with the chopped parsley. Add parmesan, the dressed rocket salad and ciabatta if using.

Per serving

kcal

510

protein

47.8g

fibre

4.3g

carbs

18.6g

fat

25.2g