Spaghetti With Beef Ragu

Ingredients

• 500 g minced beef
• 3 cloves, minced
• 1 beef stock cube
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 carrots, diced
• 400 g tomato, finely diced
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp oregano
• 150 ml red wine vinegar
• 300 ml cold water
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• salt, to taste
• section_header:sauce
• 2 celeries, diced
• 1 tsp basil, finely diced
• section_header:for serving
• spaghetti, cooked as directed on package
• parmesan, grated
• ciabatta bread, to serve
• crisp green salad, to serve

Method

1. Get a heavy pot or stainless pan over a medium-high heat with a slick of oil. Pat the mince dry and season generously with salt and pepper before it hits the pan — water means steam, and steam means no browning.
2. Brown the mince in two batches. All at once and the pan crowds, water comes out, and you've boiled the meat instead of browning it. You want a proper deep-brown crust on the base of the pan — that fond is half the flavour. Lift the browned mince out and set aside.
3. Drop the heat to medium and add the onion, celery and carrots to the same pan. Cook for 8–10 minutes until softened and starting to catch at the edges, scraping up the brown stuck bits as the vegetables release their moisture. Stir in the garlic and cook just until fragrant — 30 seconds, no more. Burnt garlic turns the whole dish bitter.
4. Return the beef to the pan, sprinkle over the flour and stir for a minute to coat everything. Pour in the red wine and let it bubble hard for 30 seconds, scraping the base, until the raw alcohol smell lifts.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, rinsed red lentils, and pour in the 500ml cold water — the liquid breaks the tomatoes down so they taste of summer fruit, not tin. Crumble in the stock cube, add the caster sugar, oregano and basil, and season with a generous few twists of black pepper.
6. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 40–45 minutes, stirring every so often. The sauce should thicken, darken and turn glossy. If it tightens too much before time, splash in more water — the lentils drink more than you'd think.
7. About 12 minutes before you want to eat, bring a large pan of water to a rolling boil. Salt the pasta water generously — it should taste like the sea. This is your only chance to season the pasta itself. Add the spaghetti, push it under with a wooden spoon, and cook for 10–12 minutes until al dente.
8. While the pasta cooks, raise the heat under the ragu and reduce for a final few minutes until it coats the back of a spoon. Taste, season, taste again — adjust now, not at the table.
9. Drain the spaghetti, reserving a small cupful of cooking water. Loosen the ragu with a splash of pasta water if needed, divide the spaghetti between warmed bowls, and spoon the ragu generously over each. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a heavy snowfall of parmesan, and serve straight away with torn ciabatta and a crisp green salad alongside.