Beef Shin Ragu

Step 1

Preheat oven to 160°C (140° fan forced) / 320°F and make sure your shelf is positioned so that you can fit a large Dutch oven with the lid on into it.

Step 2

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in your Dutch oven or a very large heavy based pan, over medium-high heat. Add the beef shins, in batches adding remaining oil as needed, and brown well. If there is a lot of oil left behind, remove all but 1 tablespoon.

Step 3

Add ¼ cup of water to the pan and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Don't discard the water - this is important flavour.

Step 4

Add garlic, onions, celery, carrots and anchovies. Sauté the vegetables until soft, around 4-5 minutes. If you notice the bottom of the pan getting dark brown, add just a dash of water or the beef stock to deglaze it - don’t let it burn.

Step 5

Add the wine and give it all a mix. Boil for 1 minute until the wine has almost completely been absorbed by the veggies.

Step 6

Add the remaining ingredients - crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, beef stock, rosemary, sugar, pepper, salt - along with the beef shins and any juices with them. Stir and bring to a simmer.

Step 7

Cover with a lid (or tightly with foil) and bake for 2 ½ hours - 3 hours until the meat shreds easily and the sauce is thick.

Step 8

If eating immediately, get started on step 11 now.

Step 9

Meanwhile, remove the rosemary stalk from the ragu, then shred the meat into the sauce. Remove any obvious bits of gristle of sinew that haven’t broken down.

Step 10

Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper to taste if required. The ragu can be chilled, if not eating immediately, for 3-4 days before eating and the flavours do develop more over time.

Step 11

IF EATING STRAIGHT AWAY;Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add your pappardelle - cook until just al dente according to packet instructions.

Step 12

Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta. Add the ragu to the pasta as much or as little as you like, and mix well. Add some of the hot pasta water back if you want to loosen the consistency of the sauce.

Step 13

Serve topped with finely grated parmesan and fresh basil leaves.

Step 14

Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.