Slow-cooked beef ragù with pappardelle

Serves - 4 to 6

You’ll need

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 750g beef chuck or braising steak, cut into rough chunks
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 celery stick, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 150ml red wine
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 400ml beef stock
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 300g pappardelle
• 40g Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
• Small handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Brown the beef properly

Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a large heavy-based casserole over a medium-high heat. Season the beef well with salt and black pepper, then brown it in batches so it gets some real colour on it. Do not crowd the pan or it will steam rather than brown, which is not the same thing at all. Once browned, set the beef aside.

2. Build the base

Turn the heat down a little and add the remaining olive oil. Add the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt, then cook gently for 8–10 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, then stir in the tomato purée and let it cook out for a minute or two. This is where it starts to feel like it means business.

3. Add the wine and tomatoes

Pour in the red wine and let it bubble away for 2–3 minutes, scraping up anything tasty stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the chopped tomatoes, beef stock, rosemary, thyme and bay leaf, then return the beef to the pan along with any resting juices.

4. Let it cook low and slow

Bring everything to a gentle simmer, then cover with a lid and cook on a very low heat for 2½–3 hours, stirring now and then, until the beef is tender enough to fall apart easily. You can also do this in the oven at 160°C fan if you prefer. By the end, the sauce should be rich and thick rather than watery and apologetic.

5. Shred the beef

Remove the lid and take out the rosemary stalks, thyme stalks and bay leaf. Use two forks to break up the beef into the sauce. If the ragù looks a little loose, let it bubble away uncovered for another 10–15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. It should be deep, savoury and very definitely worth the wait.

6. Cook the pappardelle

Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil and cook the pappardelle until al dente. Before draining, save a mug of the pasta water.

7. Bring it all together

Add the drained pappardelle to the ragù with the Parmesan and a splash of the pasta water, then toss everything together gently over a low heat until the sauce clings to the pasta nicely. You want it glossy and generous, not dry and claggy.

8. Serve

Divide between warm bowls and finish with more Parmesan, the chopped parsley and a final grind of black pepper. Serve straight away, ideally when everyone is hungry and willing to show a bit of appreciation.

A couple of helpful notes

- Beef chuck gives you excellent flavour here, but any good braising cut will do the job nicely.
- The ragù is often even better the next day, so this is a very good one to make ahead if you are feeling organised.
- A small splash of milk stirred in during the last half hour of cooking gives the sauce a slightly softer, rounder finish if that appeals.