500gSoffritomix of chopped onions, carrots & celery
400gBeef Chuck*
500gTomato Passata
500mlBeef Stock
1tbspDried Oregano
Salt & Black Pepperto taste
2Bay Leaves
Chopped Fresh Parsleyfor garnish
Grated Italian Hard Cheeseto serve
Instructions
Seasoned the beef chuck generously with salt.
In a large pot, heat cooking oil over medium-high heat.
2 tbsp Cooking Oil
Sear the beef until browned on each side. The beef doesn't need to be fully cooked at this stage. Once browned, remove from pot and set aside.
400 g Beef Chuck*
Turn the heat down to medium. In the same pot, keep any remaining oil and add more if necessary, saute garlic and chilli flakes (if using) for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
3 cloves Garlic, 1 tsp Chilli Flakes
Add in soffrito and saute for 10-15 minutes until softened & golden in colour.
500 g Soffrito
Season with salt, black pepper, and dried oregano.
Salt & Black Pepper
Add Tomato Passata, Bay Leaves, and Beef Stock. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for at least 40 minutes. Stirring occasionally. If it gets too dry, simply add a little bit more water/stock.
500 g Tomato Passata, 500 ml Beef Stock, 2 Bay Leaves
At this point, the meat should be tender enough to shred. Break up the meat with a wooden spatula into your desired bite size. Alternatively, transfer the meat into a bowl to shred and slot it back into the pot when done.
Closer to the time of serving, bring a large pot of water to boil and season generously with salt. Cook the pasta according to package instructions and save roughly ΒΌ cup pasta water.
250 g Pasta
Add cooked pasta into the ragu, along with a bit of pasta water, and toss to combine.
Garnish with chopped parsley leaves and top with grated Italian hard cheese if you like. Serve hot.
Chopped Fresh Parsley, Grated Italian Hard Cheese
Notes
Other than beef chuck, you can also use short rib, rump, shin, brisket etc. for the recipe.
The longer you cook the meat, the more tender and flavourful it gets!