Beef Ragu Rigatoni
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 3-4 hours
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
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1kg beef, keep in large pieces (approx. 250g)
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 onion, diced finely
1 carrot, diced finely
1 large stick celery, diced finely
2 cans (800g) crushed canned tomatoes
140g tomato paste
2 stock cubes
1 cup red wine, optional, substitute out with beef stock
1 tsp thyme
3 bay leaves
3 star anise
4 dried chillies
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Water, if required
500g rigatoni
Parmesan cheese
Chilli flakes
Fresh parsley, chopped
Method
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Season beef with salt and pepper. Heat oil in pan, sear beef and remove.
Add more oil to pan, then garlic and onion. Cook on low heat for a few minutes until onion clear, then add carrots and celery. Fry for a few more minutes until softened.
Add beef and juices back to pan, and then add all other ingredients in. If wine is not enough to cover the beef, add some water until just submerged. Bring to a simmer, then reduce to low and just bubbling.
If using a pot, cook for 2-3 hours until beef is tender and able to shred. If using a pressure cooker, cook on high for 40 minutes. For both methods, make sure enough liquid to cover.
Once meat tender enough, remove and shred with forks. Return the beef back to pot and continue to simmer the sauce until thick, around 30 minutes. Taste and season as required.
Cook pasta 1-2 minutes short of instructions, as we will finish cooking with sauce.
Add some of the Ragu sauce to a medium-high heat fry pan. Add pasta directly from water to pan. Toss together until pasta is fully coated. Add a little more sauce/pasta water as required.
To serve, sprinkle with some chilli flakes (optional), fresh parsley and grate some parmesan cheese on top.
