Spaghetti With Beef Ragu
A glossy, deep-red ragu clinging to every strand, finished with a drizzle of green olive oil and a heavy snowfall of parmesan at the table.
Ingredients
Serves 4- 500 gbeef mince
- 3garlic cloves, minced
- 1beef stock cube
- 2 tbspplain flour
- 2carrots, diced
- 400 gtomato, finely diced
- 2 tbsptomato puree
- black pepper, to taste
- 1onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsporegano
- 150 mldry red wine
- 500 mlcold water
- 1 tspcaster sugar
- salt, to taste
- 2celery sticks, diced
- 1 tspbasil, finely diced
- 300 gdried spaghetti
- 30 gparmesan, finely grated
- 1 tbspolive oil
Method
- Get a heavy pot or stainless pan over a medium-high heat with a slick of oil. Blot the mince well.
- Brown the mince in two batches. If the pan starts filling with liquid, stop adding meat. Browning needs heat and breathing room. You want a proper deep-brown crust on the base of the pan. Lift the browned mince out and set aside.
- 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 give it half a minute in the pan.
- 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.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato purée, then pour in the 500 ml cold water. Crumble in the stock cube, add the caster sugar, oregano and basil, and season with black pepper.
- 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, add a small splash of water.
- 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 distinctly savoury. Season the pasta itself. Add the spaghetti, push it under with a wooden spoon, and cook for 10–12 minutes until al dente.
- 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.
- Drain the spaghetti, reserving a small cupful of cooking water. Loosen the ragù with a splash of pasta water if needed, divide between warmed bowls and finish with the listed grated Parmesan.
Per serving
- kcal
- 778
- protein
- 36.7g
- fibre
- 7g
- carbs
- 77.3g
- fat
- 33.1g
Cook this in Chop it
Get the app to scan your fridge, plan the week, and shop in one tap.