The perfect Ragu

The Perfect Ragú – a sauce to savour

A rich ragú forms the basis of many classic dishes. I am not kidding you, once you have made this you will never again make boring old savoury mince.  This recipe is a keeper – make it in large quantities and store in the freezer. If you are planning on making a ragú, give yourself some time, because it  needs to cook slowly for two hours for the mince  to soften and absorb the flavours of the sauce. The time spent now will reward you with a half cooked meal just waiting to be added to your favourite dishes.

Add it to pasta, as Spaghetti Bolognaise, Penne Picante (add chilli and a touch of cream) and  Lasagne.

Make the best ever cottage pie, by adding mashed potato and dollops of butter, or add it to your favourite pastry to make Ragú Pasties for an easy Sunday night meal.

What is your favourite way to use Ragú ?  Share it with us in the comments below.

THE BEST EVER COTTAGE PIE

Cottage pie is the ultimate comfort food, sizzling from the oven , its hot, fragrant and comforting.  Serve it with a pan of  roasted root vegetables to round off a hearty meal.  Boil quartered potatoes until soft.  Mash and add to the top of a portion of Rich Ragú .  Dot the surface with pieces of butter and cook in a hot oven until golden brown.

RAGÚ PASTIES

Make a simple shortcrust pastry to encase your ragú and add potatoes, leeks and parsnips to the mix.  If you don’t have time to make a shortcrust, buy a packet of puff pastry, its just as good.  If you want to turn this into a gourmet meal, use thin layers of phyllo and make parcels of ragú and vegetables.  Your possibilities are endless, so get your creative juices going with the first step by making this PERFECT RICH RAGÚ.

5 from 2 votes
The Perfect Rich Ragú
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs 30 mins
Total Time
2 hrs 40 mins
 
Course: savoury
Servings: 8
Author: Ev
Ingredients
  • 100 g cubed pancetta
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 onion
  • 2 sticks celery
  • 1 kg good quality minced meat
  • 1 glass red wine
  • 1 tin tomatoe puree (70g)
  • 500 ml boiling water
  • 2 beef stock cubes
  • 2 bay leaves
Instructions
  1. Fry pancetta in olive oil
  2. Finely chop carrot, onion and celery and add to the pan. Sweat until translucent.
  3. Add minced meat and cook for 5 minutes and then add wine, cook until it has evaporated.
  4. Add the tomatoe puree, you want this to be dry and not a juicy tomatoe sauce.
  5. Add bay leaves and stock cubes with water.
  6. Simmer gently for 2 hours. The longer you simmer the richer the flavour.
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4 Comments

  • Reply Jen July 14, 2014 at 8:17 PM

    Delicious – great as a cottage pie

  • Reply Eric July 19, 2014 at 6:53 AM

    I can recommend this recipe……. It is delicious with Pasta…Great in a Pie and even outstanding on Toast for Breakfast or a quick Sunday Dinner.

    Highly recommended.

  • Reply Lorraine July 27, 2014 at 7:45 PM

    Can’t wait to try this !

    • Reply Ev July 27, 2014 at 7:56 PM

      Hope you enjoy it xxx

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