Family Ragu
5 tablespoons olive oil
500g quality topside beef, chopped into medium-sized chunks
500g higher-welfare pork ribs
200g higher-welfare pork sausages, casings removed
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 onion, finely sliced
3 fresh bay leaves
250ml rich Italian red wine
2 tablespoons tomato puree
3 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
½ bunch of fresh basil leaves
700g dried tagliatelle
30g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
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Method
Heat the olive oil in a large casserole dish over a high heat, season the meat well then add to the pan and allow to brown all over. Add the onion and the bay leaves, stir well and cook for a five minutes to soften and continue browning the meat.
Add 150ml of the red wine and bubble away to evaporate slightly. Put the remaining wine in a glass and stir in the tomato puree until smooth, then add to the pan along with the tinned tomatoes and 3 cans of water. Stir well and bring to the boil.
Add the basil, reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and cook for 2 – 3 hours, checking and stirring from time to time. An hour before the sauce is ready, check the consistency. If the sauce is too runny then simmer with the lid removed for the remaining hour, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, season to taste and flake all the meat from the pork ribs and shred the beef, discarding the bones. Serve tossed through al dente tagliatelle with plenty of Parmesan.
Video from youtube