Rich beef ragu with rosemary gremolata
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- A little effort
- Serves 8
Ingredients
- for dusting plain flour
- 1.5 kg beef shin, left in big slices/pieces
- olive oil
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 3 carrots, finely diced
- 3 stalks celery, finely diced
- 6 cloves garlic, finely sliced
- chopped to make 1 tbsp rosemary
- 1 star anise
- 1 bottle robust red wine
- 250ml passata
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 250g instant polenta
- 100g parmesan, grated
- 125g butter
- parsley
- chopped to make ½ tsp rosemary needles
- lemon
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Method
- STEP 1
Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Put about 4 tbsp flour on a plate and season. Dust the beef in the flour and shake off the excess. Heat some oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook the shin pieces until they have a good colour. Transfer to an ovenproof casserole.
- STEP 2
Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the frying pan, then season and cook for about 10 minutes, until soft. Add the rosemary and star anise and cook for a few minutes. Add enough wine to loosen any bits on the bottom of the pan then tip everything into the casserole with the beef. Add the passata to the beef pan with the rest of the red wine, then bring up to a simmer. Cover the pan with foil and put on a lid to create a good seal. Transfer to the oven and cook for 3½ hours, then check the beef is done – you want it to fall apart easily. If it doesn’t, put it back in the oven for another 30 minutes to an hour.
- STEP 3
Mix the gremolata ingredients together. Make the polenta by heating the chicken stock in a pan. Pour in the polenta, whisking until it is combined. Cook for 4 minutes, then beat in the parmesan and butter.
- STEP 4
Serve the ragu with the polenta and sprinkle with the gremolata.
