Gibney’s Beef Ragu (the real deal like mama used to make)
Ingredients
2 kg: Stewing beef
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
4 sprigs rosemary
4 sprigs sage
3 small onions, peeled and cut in chunks
8 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
1 big carrot, peeled and thickly sliced
3 celery stalks, thickly sliced
4 cups red wine (and 1 for yourself)
2 tins of peeled whole cherry or plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Method:
Chop all the vegetables and herbs.
Season beef chunks with salt and pepper to taste.
Put a heavy pot on the stove and add olive oil to cover the bottom thinly. Heat over a medium to high heat.
When oil is hot, add beef. Stir until beef is well browned on all sides. Do this in batches, if necessary, to ensure proper browning and to avoid sweating or steaming.
Brown very well; don't worry if the meat is looking dried out. That will be taken care of.
Add rosemary and sage sprigs, onion, garlic, carrot and celery.
Reduce heat to medium-low and sauté until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
Add wine and continue to simmer until liquid has reduced by half, about 15 minutes.
Add tomatoes and their juices.
use the slow cooker. Put everything in a slow cooker and cook on low for at least eight hours.
When ready to serve, using two forks, finely shred meat and vegetables. Discard herb stems and push through a colander to really make a fine sauce.
Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, spoon beef ragù over pasta and garnish with fresh rosemary, orange zest and fresh shaved Parmesan
You have never tasted really Italian pasta until you make a ragù from scratch!
What’s in your Larder!
We will take a look into the contents of your larder and best ways to use them over the coming year to help us understand better what and why you should use in what kind of dishes.
Allspice
Allspice is the dried fruit of the Pimenta dioica plant. The fruit is picked when it is green and unripe and, traditionally, dried in the sun. When dry, the fruits are brown and resemble large brown peppercorns. The whole fruits have a longer shelf life than the powdered product and produce a more aromatic product when freshly ground before use.
Allspice is one of the most important ingredients of Caribbean cuisine the best description is it combines the flavours of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, so for me when I think Allspice I think BBQ sauce but equally Cake so this pungent, strong, but warming spice is a must in any Larder!
Basil
Basil, originally from India is best known as a culinary herb prominently featured in Italian cuisine. There are many varieties of Ocimum basilicum, as well as several related species or species hybrids also called basil. The type used in Italian food is typically called sweet basil, as opposed to Thai basil (O. basilicum var. thyrsiflora), lemon basil (O. × citriodorum) and holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum), which are used in Asia. Basil is commonly used fresh in cooked recipes. the leaves may taste somewhat like anise, with a strong, pungent, often sweet smell. In general, it is added at the last moment, as cooking quickly destroys the flavor. The fresh herb can be kept for a short time in plastic bags in the refrigerator, or for a longer period in the freezer. The dried herb also loses most of its flavour, and what little flavour remains, tastes very different, with a weak flavor, like hay.
Basil is one of the main ingredients in pesto—a green Italian oil-and-herb sauce. Its other main ingredients are olive oil, garlic, and pine nuts.
And it’s a great accompaniment to the classic tomatoes and mozzarella salad.
Ok over the next few weeks we can build up a, A – Zedoary of the herb and spice world to help us make some truly fantastic dishes.
SEEDING!
Time has come to get the seeds on the go. From now on for the next few months I will be planting my veg seeds in two week intervals. I like to plant them in trays with small individual cells to make it easy to transplant. So in go the beetroots, spinach, spring onions, peas, beans and many more. I will cover the tray with plastic for the first few weeks inside the glass house to give them a good start.
So with that done I start to think about my larder and what I have in it, what I need and the best way to use my favourite herbs, spices and condiments over the coming months so I decided to start a little weekly feature.
Ok I'm off I hope that I can cover all the most useful herbs and spices in the, what’s in your larder section each week if you have any favourites you would like to share please leave a comment !
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