Lamb Ragu (hand-cut) with Fennel and Tarragon

THE INSPIRATION

I got inspiration for this lamb ragù recipe while doing my food shopping and seeing some very nice lamb leg boneless steaks. I thought these would be very good for a quick braise (they do not need too long a braise, because they are off the bone and with little marbling/fat to render compared to cuts like shoulder). Considering also that they do not have a large amount of fat, I wanted to use them for a relatively fresh and lighter-than-usual ragù, where vegetables are co-stars in the dish. This ragù can be served in spring and summer, as it is lighter and fresher than a classic Italian ragù. If you want to surprise your family and friends this Easter holidays, this dish is just perfect. It can be made 1 or 2 days in advance, and all you would have to do on the day is to cook some Linguine (or your favourite pasta) and finish them in the pan with your previously cooked ragù sauce.

THE TECHNIQUE

The technique of cooking the meat whole and then dicing it by hand, with a knife, as well as blending the sauce to emulsify fats is inspired by chef Massimo Bottura’s Hand-Cut Beef Ragù. We tried that ragù a couple of times and used it for our Christmas’ lunch lasagna, it is just fantastic. It takes more time than classic ragù, but it is hands down the best beef ragù I have ever eaten (not just because of the technique, the use of bone marrow and its emulsification into the sauce are game-changing). Blending (after you take the meat aside) also makes the dish very refined, with a little effort. I decided to employ this technique for two reasons: 1) I wanted to have a more refined dish and I love braising cuts (instead of using only ground meat, as in a bolognese ragù); 2) I thought that good quality, uncooked, extra-vergin olive oil would elevate this dish soooo much and it would go great with the rest of the ingredients. The blending of the sauce gives us a chance to emulsify a good quantity of good quality olive oil into the sauce.

The good news is that using these techniques in a “quick” ragù like this one (cooking time 1H30M, vs 3H+ for a good beef ragù) is actually not time consuming at all! You will have a ragù dish with some finesse, but this finesse comes cheap (in terms of time, and in terms of cost – in fact it cost virtually nothing to hand-dice a couple of steaks and to blend your ragù sauce).

When braising, I like to use a cartouche to cover the meat (but you can instead set a lid ajar on the pan). If you have never made a cartouche or you do not know what it is, you can check the tutorial How to make a cartouche by Serious Eats. It’s actually very easy, it’s just a lid that lets some of the steam off, made by parchment paper.

Footnote: For those who do not know him, Massimo Bottura is the chef and owner of Osteria Francescana in Modena, a restaurant that was nominated the best restaurant in the world a few times by “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants”. His approach to cuisine, giving a twist to traditional Italian dishes with modern, unique, sometimes provoking techniques, was revolutionary. I believe he is truly a visionary in his field, for example he is also well known for his big push to reduce food waste and his contribution to the saving of an incredible amount of Parmesan cheese that was about to go to waste after an earthquake hit the region. He did that by publishing and marketing ways and recipes to use the Parmesan and save the Parmesan, effectively giving a way to the consortium to sell their destined-to-perish Parmesan wheels.

FENNEL AND TARRAGON ARE CO-STARS, AND OLIVE OIL TOO

Vegetables and herbs really are the co-stars: the anise-y flavour of fennel comes through, lifted and supported by tarragon. Carrots bring their characteristic sweetness, helped by onion (although onions take a step back and are present in smaller amounts). Finally, and very differently from classic ragù like ragù alla bolognese, the fat is brought by very good quality olive oil, added at the end when blending the sauce (and therefore being well emulsified into the sauce). Needless to say, the lamb taste goes great with the fennel’s aromas.

A NOTE ON LAMB, IF YOU ARE NOT A LAMB LOVER

I would add that this cut of lamb is not very gamey, so it might be for you even if lamb is not your favourite protein. It is sold in UK as a steak (so to be seared and eaten directly, without marinating). The marinade also gives a big hand elevating the taste of the meat but also mitigating some of the gaminess. I must also say that I have only eaten lamb in the UK and I have heard it might be more gamey in some other parts of the world. Again, the marinade helps, but of course feel free to adjust or marinate for longer  if you feel the lamb you know would need a different treatment. For example, game or lamb that are very strong in their odour are often marinated twice and the marinade is not used in cooking, like I do in this recipe.

A NOTE ON GLUTEN-FREE

This ragù is naturally gluten-free, as long as you use gluten-free ingredients. When you buy miso paste, makes sure it does not contain any Barley or Wheat. Generally, traditional miso paste does not contain wheat, but sometimes some producer like to use Barley Koji, so it might contain gluten. Just look for a miso that does not contain any of that as ingredients.

For pasta, just use your favourite gluten-free pasta. I use Rummo Gluten-Free pasta. It is just fantastic, it takes effort to overcook it, and it is just perfect. Fantastic gluten-free pasta, really, from a producer that makes fanstatic pasta overall (even the wheat-based one has a great reputation).

SUBSTITUTIONS

• Miso paste and stock. You will probably notice that I do not use any stock. The reason is that I use miso paste in the marinade, and then I add water or a mix of water and more miso paste instead of stock. Miso paste effectively replaces salt and also adds a lot of umami and complex flavour. I feel it also marries great with all other ingredients. So, my suggestion is to get some miso paste (see recommendations below for good ones that will keep in your fridge for 6 months after they are opened!). However, if you really can’t get it or you do not want to get it, you can use some vegetable stock instead of water. If you have a good homemade vegetable stock, especially if it does not have a lot of salt, feel free to use it along the miso paste! But mind the salt. Miso is quite salty, if you add a salty stock you might end up with a bit of a salty ragù (keep also in mind that the salt will concentrate more as the sauce reduces while cooking).
• Dry or Extra Dry Prosecco. I like to use an extra dry or dry prosecco. I like prosecco because of the sweet notes it gives, but you can substituite with any dry white wine. For example, a pinot grigio would do great.
• Yellow Cherry Tomatoes. I chose this variety because of its sweetness and milder tomato taste. You can used other types of cherry tomatoes, although I would reduce the quantity a bit as they are more acidic. It’s ok to use the same amount thought, if it is to your taste, but the sauce might taste a bit more of tomatoes than mind. If using red ones, the colour of the sauce will also be a bit different (more towards orange or light red).
• Fennel and Tarragon. Fennel is the co-star of the dish and cannot be substituted. I would advise to use tarragon as well, as it helps the fennel-like aromas to come through, but if you can’t find it you can omit it (maybe you can add a bit of fennel tops to the marinade to help with the anise-like flavour).

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BONUS TRACK: GENERAL PASTA TECHNIQUE

When you cook a pasta dish, you want to make sure to pick the right shape for the sauce you make. For example, fusilli are great with pesto, as they catch it very well in their spirals. Rigatoni are very good for chunky tomato sauces, as they get filled with pieces of ground meat and sauce. I feel that for this ragù linguine work quite well (it’s similar to spaghetti, but thicken and flatter) and do a good job of catching the sauce. Fusilli might work well too. Feel free to experiment, but make sure you follow the tips below. This is the technique that works for most pasta dishes.

• Drain off your pasta 2-3min before the time shown on the package, and let it finish cooking in the sauce. This will allow the pasta to take some flavour, but more importantly pasta will release its starches into the sauce as it finishes cooking and as you move it around. The starches will thicken the sauce and make it stick to the pasta. One of the worst things that can happen to your pasta dish is that the sauce is slegata (literally, “unbound”). That’s why I can’t bring myself to understand why some people serve ragù on top of pasta, almost like pasta is a side to the ragù.
• Before draining your pasta, set aside some of the pasta water. This is the secret to great pasta. When you finish cooking pasta in the sauce, the sauce will be probably thick and not liquid enough to finish cooking the pasta. Hence, you will add some of the pasta sauce. On top of helping  the cooking, the pasta water is very starchy and as it reduces it will help the sauce thicken and stick to the pasta.
• When ready, take off the heat, add some fats (cheese, or butter, or oil, depending on the sauce), and emulsify by “sauteeing”/flipping the pasta or mixing it well. This is what in the Italian tradition is called mantecatura. Not only your sauce will become glossy and more flvaourful, guess what… It will stick better to the pasta (do you see the common theme?)
• Finally, make sure your pasta is never overcooked. It is a matter of taste of course, but pasta should be al dente (which in Italian literally means you can feel it under your tooth). It should not be hard, it should be soft, but it should have a bite to it. As a general indication, cooking should stop “1 minute before the time shown on the box”, but it is more difficult to estimate as a fixed time if you finish cooking pasta in the sauce. Taste it often and you will soon learn to know when it is ready!

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Linguine with with Ragù of hand-cut Lamb, Fennel, and Tarragon

March 14, 2021

Servings: 4 servings

Prep: 30 min

Cook: 1 hr 30 min

Total: 2 hr

Difficulty: Medium

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This lamb ragù with fennel and tarragon is great to make a delicious and refined pasta dish that can be served even in summer, thanks to its lightness and anise aromas.

By: TheObsessedCook

Ingredients

• For the Marinade
• 1 spoonful of Miso paste
• 250 ml of Prosecco, dry quality is best (or dry white wine)
• Juice from half a lemon
• 2 cloves of Garlic, lightly crushed
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 2 sprigs of rosemary
• 3 sprigs of tarragon
• For the bouquet garni
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 1 spring of rosemary
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 sprigs of tarragon
• 1 dried bay leave (optional)
• a few black peppercorns (optional)
• For the ragù
• 360g/400g boneless lamb leg steaks
• 150g fennel, diced like an onion (about 2 medium/small)
• 75g carrots, diced (about 2 medium)
• 50g onion, diced (about a small onion or half a medium onion)
• 200g/250g yellow cherry tomatoes, sliced in half (about 10)
• Very good quality olive oil (to taste, but suggested at least 20g to emulsify into the sauce when blending)
• 1000 ml hot water (only needed to cover the meat, you might need much less)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil to brown the meat
• For the pasta
• 360g linguine or gluten-free linguine
• Sliced tarragon to garnish

Directions

• Step 1 MARINADE. Combine the liquids of the marinade together with the miso paste and mix well to dissolve the miso. Add all other ingredients and add also the lamb steaks. Cover well and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours, but I suggest to do it overnight.
• Step 2 BROWNING THE MEAT. Pre-heat a casserole dish or heavy pan at high heat until very hot. I do all in one pan, so I used a pan that is good for braising (i.e., high sides to hold liquid). When hot, add the vegetable oil. Pull the lamb steaks out of the marinade and pat dry with kitchen towels, making sure any herbs sticking to the meat are left behind. Sear the lamb steaks on the very hot pan, without overcrowding the pan, 3-4min per side. We do not want to cook the meat, we just want some browning on the surface. When browned, set the meat aside on a plate. Set the marinade aside, straining it quickly to remove any herbs or solids (we will need it later for deglazing).
• Step 3 SWEATING VEGETABLES. Carefully drain the hot used vegetable oil out of the pan, I usually do it by holding some paper kitchen towel with tongs and cleaning the pan. If there are burned bits, try to get them out of the pan as well, but do not clean the pan, anything that is not bruned will be adding good flavours. Lower the heat to medium-low, add some olive oil to the pan and add the diced carrots. Add a little salt. Let them sweat for 5 minutes. We do not want them to brown, but to gently sweat and become softer. Now add the diced fennel and diced onion, salt them very lightly as well. Cook for about 10 minutes until all vegetables are soft and translucent. Again, no browning needed or wanted. If they struggle to get cooked, add a little bit of your marinade to help create moisture.
• Step 4 BOUQUET GARNI. In the meanwhile, prepare your bouquet garni. I do that by enveloping the herbs and garlic in cheesecloth and then tying it up with kitchen twine. If you don’t want to do that, you can skip and add the herbs and garlic to the sauce, trying to fish them them out at the end. Considering the herbs used, it might be easy.
• Step 5 DEGLAZE TWICE. Turn the heat to high for a few seconds and add cherry tomatoes to the pan. Salt them lightly and mix well with other vegetables. As soon as they start releasing liquid, try to scratch the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, to deglaze. Once done and as soon as the pan starts to dry out and stick again, add a glass or about 150ml of your reserved (and strained) marinade. This time, make sure you scratch every bits from the bottom of the pan with your wooden spoon. Let the alcohol evaporate and the sauce reduce until very thick and almost sticky.
• Step 6 ADD LIQUIDS AND MEAT. Add a bit of the water, mix well, and snug the meat into the pan in one layer (it’s ok if they are very snug though). Now add additional water until the meat is all covered, but not much more. Mix a little bit and give it a taste. Later on, as the sauce reduces, you might want to add some more miso or salt if you feel it’s bland. Add the bouquet garni towards the center, and submerge it. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. You will need to keep it to a slow simmer for the all cooking process. Cover the meat with a cartouche (see tutorial on the article) or alternatively cover the pan with a lid set ajar. Cook for about 1 hour and a half, the meat will be ready when it is tender enough to be cut with a fork.
• Step 7 HAND CUT THE MEAT AND BLEND THE SAUCE. When ready, pull the meat out of the sauce and let it to rest aside until it is cooler and can be touched with your hands without burning yourself. In the meanwhile, let the sauce reduce for a couple of minutes at medium heat if it is too liquid (but mind that the blending of the vegetables will thicken it). Remover the bouquet garni (or the herbs, if you did not use one) and pour the sauce into a blender while still warm. Blend carefully, starting at low speed and increasing to high, until the sauce is very smooth and not grainy. Let cool a couple of minutes and add the olive oil. This ragù does not have much fat in it, so far, so feel free to use a good amount of oil. Blend until the oil is emulsified into the sauce and give it a taste. Adjust the seasoning if needed (with salt or miso, but also with a few drops of lemon if the sauce misses acidity). Pour the sauce into the container you will store it in. Now your meat should be colder. Dice your meat with a sharp knife, say at about 1cm cubes. When done, add it back to the sauce, mix well, and store it into your refrigerator or use it directly!
• Step 8 COOKING THE PASTA. When you are ready to use the sauce, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water generously and drop the pasta in it, mixing it a few times while it cooks. In the meanwhile, add your sauce to a large pan or sauce pan, and warm gently while the pasta cooks. You want to finish the cooking of the pasta with the sauce, so you will drain it 2 to 3 minutes before the time indicated in the package instructions. Before draining the pasta, set aside some of the pasta water (say, 1 cup / 250ml). Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce, mixing often to release starches from the pasta and get the sauce to stick with it. Finish the cooking of the pasta with the sauce, mixing often and, if you are able to, “sauteeing” the pasta by flipping it in the pan. If the sauce is too dense to cook the pasta, add a little bit of pasta water to loosen it. This will help cooking the pasta, but it will also add starches that thicken the sauce. When al dente, remove from the heat, add a drizzle of olive oil, mix well to emulsify (this is called mantecatura in the Italian tradition), and serve the pasta with a sprinkle of tarragon on top.