Spaghetti With Beef Ragu

Ingredients

• 500 g beef mince
• 3 garlic 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 dry red wine
• 500 ml cold water
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• salt, to taste
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 1 tsp basil, finely diced
• 300 g dried spaghetti
• 30 g parmesan, finely grated
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Get a heavy pot or stainless pan over a medium-high heat with a slick of oil. Blot the mince well.
2. 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.
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 give it half a minute in the pan.
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 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.
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, add a small splash of water.
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 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.
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.
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.