The chill has arrived

Hey everyone

Well its been a month of moving and planting and developing recipes for the new cookbook. This blog highlights some of those yummy recipes we will be publishing.  With the chill arriving we have been working on those warm tummy fillers that are awesome to eat while watching the fire.  One of my favourites is a Lamb Ragu. I cook mine in a slow cooker but a trusty pot will do if you dont have time to put it in and or the desire to wait 8 hours :).

My ragu is a combination of the many recipes Ive seen over the years. I use either lamb mince or I dice up a boneless shoulder or leg. Note alot of recipes have canned tomatos or such in them. Mine only includes a tablespoon of tomato paste as I prefer the meaty taste of this ragu to a purest tomato sauce. All down to preference.

Ingredients are:

1kg boneless lamb leg diced
1 onion diced
1 carrot diced
1 stick of celery diced - note exclude if like me you have men who dont like celery
3 cloves of garlic
6 - 8 anchovy fillets chopped
2 teaspoons ground coriander
200 ml red wine
1 cup beef stock or beef jus if you prefer
1 tablespoon worcester sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup of water
400 to 500gm of italian fettucine or parpadelle
fresh parmesan and parsley for sprinkling over at the end


Heat 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over high heat and brown the lamb in batches. Once cooked put aside or if like me using a slow cooker put the lamb in and turn the cooker to high.

Turn the heat down to medium and put the onion, carrot, celery, anchovies, garlic and coriander into the same pan and cook gently till the onions are softened (5-10 mins). If not using the slow cooker put the lamb back in and mix. 

If using the slow cooker put all the liquids in put the lid on and slow cook for 6-8 hours. Check every now and then to make sure its not going dry if so add half a cup more of water or stock. Taste and season as needed.

If using a pot then turn the heat up after you put the lamb back in the pan and add the wine. Let it reduce for a minute then add the stock, worcester sauce, tomato paste and water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours until the lamb is tender. Taste and season as needed.

Cook the pasta as per directions. When cooked I either put the pasta in with the lamb in the slow cooker  and mix in (when its just the family) or if we have visitors I put the pasta in a warm serving bowl and ladle the ragu on top. Sprinkle with parmesan and parsley and serve.

Enjoy this is a family favorite 

Me xx