I’m a sucker for a Ragú whenever I see it on a menu, and I wonder whether most diners realise that when they are ordering a very exotic sounding Ragú, rather than some mystery dish that requires the skill of a 5 star chef to prepare, what they are really ordering is simply pasta tossed through a stew!
Yes, folks, a ragú is simply a sauce of slowly simmered meat, often tomato based, that is usually made with lesser cuts of meat that need slow cooking to render them tender. So, basically, it’s a stew. In fact, this dish probably evolved as a good use of the leftover casserole from the night before!
This is exactly how I get two different meals out of one when I am cooking during the week. Make Slow Roasted Lamb Shanks or Chicken Cacciatore or Pulled Pork Shoulder one night and chop up the leftovers, add a little extra sugo, wine or water as needed, and toss it through some exotic pasta for dinner on Day 2 (or Day 3 so it’s not too familiar).
Often I will freshen it up by tossing in some spinach leaves, green peas, sliced zucchini or just a generous sprinkling of parsley. Some freshly grated Parmesan and there’s your restaurant meal, at home.
In the meantime, click here for my relatively quick recipe for a rich pork sausage ragú using bottled sugo that will give you that hearty fix mid-week.
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Italian Sausage Ragú with Casarecce Pasta
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