The epitome of comfort food is a hearty Ragu, slow cooked and rich with wine, garlic and herbs. Earthy field mushrooms gave this dish another level of sublime flavour and the ‘Little Ear’ orecchiette pasta was the perfect vehicle, as the curved shape was a wee pocket for all the saucy goodness. Again I used the stove top but this would be the perfect dish for the slow cooker. Just brown your meat first and cook on low for 8 hours or until the meat is meltingly tender. Cibo bella!
Prep time: 20 Minutes Cooking time: 3 Hours $$ Low to Medium Budget
Serves 4-6 (4 starving, 6 hungry)
Olive oil for frying
500gm of Orecchietti pasta*
800gm of chuck steak cut into 3cm cubes
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 brown onion, diced
8 thyme stalks
2 bay leaves
2 large field mushrooms (portobello or flat will do)
500ml of shiraz (drinkable)
1 cup of salt reduced beef stock
400gm tin of chopped tomatoes
2 tbs of tomato paste
1 tsp of sugar
Sea salt and cracked pepper
2 tbs of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Freshly grated parmesan to serve
Heat a large casserole or frypan to a nice high heat and add a little olive oil. Season the meat with salt and pepper and brown on all sides, in batches. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
In the same pan lightly fry the onion until translucent for approximately 4-5 minutes. Add a little more olive oil if necessary. Cut a 10cm length of kitchen twine and tie the thyme and bay leaves in a small bundle. The leaves will fall off during the cooking process and you can just discard the stalks at the end. Add the bundle to the pan with the garlic and fry for a minute or so until aromatic. Add the mushrooms, fry until soft and then pour in the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to get all the little bits of flavour off the bottom. Reduce the wine by about half and then add the stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and season with salt and pepper. Stir well to combine before returning the meat to the pan, juices and all. Cover the mixture with a sheet of baking paper, allowing it to rest on top and tucking the sides in. Place a lid on, return to the boil, reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 21/2 hours, stirring periodically.
The Ragu is ready when the meat falls apart when pried apart with two forks. Remove the lid and paper and using two forks, gently pull the meat apart so you have nice stringy bits of meat as opposed to large chunks. This will allow you to get a little meat with each mouthful and will also help to thicken the sauce. Reduce for approximately 10 minutes and then stir through the parsley, just before serving.
Cook the orecchiette in a large pot of salted boiling water for approximately 12 minutes or until tender but with a slightly firm bite to it. The best way to detect this is to taste! Give it a stir periodically to prevent it sticking together. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce, toss well to combine.
Divide the pasta among serving bowls and top with a good sprinkling of fresh parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
* Orecchiette pasta is found in supermarkets and gourmet food shops. I used the Woolworths gold brand and it was really good!
Hi Em,
If I was to use the slow cooker, would I use less of the liquids?
I would use the same, when you go to toss it through the pasta, use a slotted spoon to get all the meat out and then spoon enough sauce to coat all the pasta. If you have lots of sauce it would make a great base for another meal. Admittedly I haven’t cooked it in the slow cooker and if you think it would work better with the liquid halved, by all means try it! You could also remove it from the slow cooker and while the pasta is cooking, reduce it in a pan on the stove….Cheers Em
Unbelievably beautiful and such fun to cook.
Thanks Ros, and yes I agree, fun to cook!
OMG!!!! This was an amazing recipe. It makes a huge amount for two so we got to have it 3 times over. Cant wait to do it again.
Regards
Ros
Awesome Ros, glad you loved it! Next time you could cook less pasta and freeze the sauce in batches….that way you won’t get sick of it! x
Emmalicious!!! Paul told me he’ll eat the whol dish :-).
Anna likes the pasta and Andreas, guess what?? A bottle of red with it.
Thanks Tanja, and yes a bottle of red goes down perfectly with this one!
Em
I am so glad I have found this website. Cooked this tonight (today in the slow cooker) and substituted the pasta for mashed sweet potato and green veggies. Delicious on a cold rainy night in Perth.
I have cooked 6 or 7 dishes now over the past month and yet to find one my wife and family don’t enjoy.
Keep the good food coming.
Cheers
James
James, thank you so much for the lovely comment. The ragu sounds sensational with sweet potato mash. I’d love to know what other recipes you’ve tried? I really appreciate the feedback. Cheers Em
The sticky asian lamb and thai coconut and shredded chicken were the 2 faves. Going to try the pork and prawn ball laksa next. Looks delicious.
It’s my hubbies fave! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Hi Em, just wondering what I could use instead of shiraz? Would it not be as good without it….make a huge difference. I’m not a red drinker? The sticky Asian Lamb is the best, and the Chicken with the thai crust OMG!! so good.
Hi Lulu,
I really don’t think you can substitute in this one but even if you don’t like to drink red wine, eating it is entirely different. I would either pick a different dish or give it a go and see what you think. Once cooked and melded with all the other flavours, the wine gives it an amazing richness and depth. Cheers Em
I love that you reply and so quickly!! Thankyou!! I will buy the shiraz as this looks amazing…you never know my taste buds may have changed!
Let me know what you think. My prediction? You will love it!
Ps. If you want to make it less about the wine just put in one cup of wine and an extra cup of stock. It will still be gorgeous…
Oh my lord. A gift from God (or Em aka Food God)
This sounds really delicious and something new to try. Thank you for sharing this.
Simon