This roasted ragu is a favourite of family and friends, It’s made all the better using meat from mature animals locally sourced via Malton’s Food 2 Remember, a traditional butcher specialising in traditional breeds. In this case I’ve used Hereford beef and Gloucester Old Spot pork. The Food 2 Remember approach provides access to the best meats at affordable prices, particularly when you learn that you need less to get your hit from the meat when you use the best. If you can’t get to the Food 2 Remember shop, they take orders by telephone and offer an overnight delivery service.
You’ll need:
2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
¼ tsp crushed dried chillies or ½ tsp lazy red chilli (from a jar)
500g beef mince
500g pork mince
6 rashers smoked bacon, finely chopped
110g tomato puree (just over half a tube)
370 ml red wine
250g mushrooms, chopped
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
Method:
Warm the Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil in a large sauté pan, add chopped onions, garlic and chilli. Add a little salt (a pinch or 2 – no more) and cook until soft. Remove the heat and transfer to a flameproof casserole dish
Fry the beef and pork mince over a high heat, stirring to break up the meat, until golden but not dry. Transfer to the casserole.
Fry the chopped bacon in the frying pan for 2 minutes then add the tomato puree. Fry for about 2 minutes more until gently roasted – it should smell like oven-dried tomatoes. Keep a close watch at this stage so nothing burns.
Add the red wine and cook to reduce by a third, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to get all the juices and bits. Add the bacon and tomato mix to the casserole.
Then using the same pan as you’ve used for the bacon etc, fry the mushrooms – there’s no need to clean out the pan as they will take up the residue of the bacon/tomato/wine mix. The mushrooms may produce a lot of natural liquid and they’re done when that liquid evaporates. Add to the casserole with the beef, pork and onions, bacon etc
Put the flameproof casserole onto the hob and bring the ragu sauce to the boil. Cook in a very low oven (140C, or gas mark 1) with the lid off, for 4 hours, stirring occasionally. The ragu sauce will effectively slow roast in the oven, giving real depth of flavour.
Serves 8. Serve with pasta, jacket potato, or crusty bread . Can also be used as a base for lasagne. Can be reheated daily to provide meals for a week!
Sue Nelson
sue@yorkshirefoodfinder.co.uk 01904 448439 / 07580 327927 Toft Acres, 89 Back Lane South, Wheldrake, York, YO19 6DT
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