We had our first snow of the season here in Mars yesterday.
Not only did it snow, but it snowed ALL day!
After a 73 degree F day on Friday, it was quite a shock, but also such a glorious treat for a lazy Sunday to build a fire in the morning and burn it all day long while cooking and watching football and reading and resting.
After a very busy and exciting week, it was nice. It was also the first day I didn’t see my new granddaughter since she was born, so I am thankful for text messages and IM pictures and so proud of her Mom and Dad for the amazing job they are doing. They are naturals, and my heart is so very full.
My belly is full too….. after making and feasting on this amazing recipe I tweaked a bit from Jamie Oliver’s recipe.
What a perfect dish to cook for hours on a cold day teasing our noses with the amazing aroma and warming the house with the oven on for hours. Jamie Oliver does his in a pressure cooker. You could also do this in the crockpot. But we were home all day, and I was perfectly content to have the oven on.
I swear I am a “wannabe” Italian! I adore Italian food. In Italian cuisine, ragu is a meat-based sauce that is commonly served with pasta. Pappardelle are large, broad, flat pasta noodles that originate from the Tuscany region and are similar to wide fettuccine. The name derives from the verb “pappare,” which means to gobble up.
Isn’t Papparedelle so much more fun to say than wide noodles? And doesn’t it sound so much more delicious?!
Hubby said I could definitely make this for company! It is so full of flavor! I could just lick the sauce from a spoon! And then…… when you top it with a tiny bit of finely grated orange zest and rosemary…. the flavors just BURST with freshness too. The balance between tender slow cooking with deep, layered flavors and fresh, bright citrus – even though just a tiny bit – is simply amazing!
Here is the recipe as I slightly tweaked from Jamie Oliver’s recipe shared in The New York Times. Hope you will give it a try.
Pappardelle with Beef Ragu
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 2-inch cubes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus 1 Tbsp finely chopped leaves for garnish
- 2 sprigs fresh sage
- 1 medium sweet onion, peeled and cut into chunks
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
- 3-4 celery stalks, thickly sliced
- 1/2 cup sliced sweet red and yellow peppers (optional)
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 pound pappardelle
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp finely grated orange zest
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in dutch oven on stove top over medium-high heat. Add beef cubes, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir until beef is well browned on all sides, about 5 mins. Add rosemary and sage sprigs, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and sweet peppers. Continue cooking until vegetables are softened, about 5 more mins.
Add wine and continue to simmer until liquid has reduced by approximately half, about 15 minutes. Add tomatoes. Secure lid and place in oven for 3 1/2 hours.
Cook pappardelle in boiling salted water for 6-7 minutes until al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water. Return pasta to pot. Add butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Mix gently, cover with lid, and let butter melt.
Remove beef ragu from oven. Discard herb stems and coarsely shred beef with two forks.
To serve, place pappardelle in shallow bowl, top with beef ragu, sprinkle with orange zest, finely minced rosemary and some more freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Enjoy!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 