Lamb Ragu over Mezzi Rigatoni

Lamb Ragu

You have to trust me on this one... you HAVE to make this. I don't care that it takes hours to make; it doesn't matter. You HAVE to make this. When you taste this ragu, you will literally think you are sitting in a fine restaurant, but you're not... you're in your own living room, probably sitting on the couch in your sweats using the coffee table as your dinner table and baby, life is good. Winter has kicked into high gear and many of us are looking for some good, comforting dinners to make that are full of flavor and I'm telling you, this is exactly what you're looking for.

This perfect recipe comes from brilliant Chef Andrew Carmellini, who used to run the restaurant, a voce, on Madison Avenue in NYC. Mark and I ate there a few years ago and the food was out of this world. The pasta so delicate, the ragu so rich and flavorful. He's currently working on opening a new restaurant in NYC, so keep your ear to the ground.

Andrew Carmellini

Mark actually grew up in the same city as Chef Carmellini and one of the things they both had in common were Italian grandmothers that taught them a ton about cooking. Chef Carmellini shares stories of his grandmother, as well as many other personal stories that lead him down the path of culinary greatness in his top notch cook book, Urban Italian: Simple Recipes and True Stories from a Life in Food. After eating at his restaurant, we ran right out and bought this cookbook the minute it hit the shelves. The Lamb Ragu was the first thing we cooked out of it and we were thrilled with the results. I highly recommend this cookbook because it contains an abundance of useful and interesting information regarding the art of cooking, as well as lots of pictures, which to me, make a great cookbook.

So let's talk about how to make this fabulous dish so you can get started on your own version...

Chef Carmellini suggests using lamb shoulder meat for this recipe because it's got the best meat-to-fat ratio for tender meat. So we did just that and got ourselves a lovely lamb shoulder from the West Side Market and we butchered and ground it ourselves. It's just more fun that way.

lamb shoulder

butchered lamb shoulder

So, the first thing you do is heat some olive oil in a large stewpot over medium-high heat. Add a pound and a half of ground lamb shoulder to the pot and brown the meat over high heat, about 5 minutes. If the lamb releases a lot of liquid so the meat begins to steam instead of browns, just drain off some of the juice and put the pot back on the heat to start the browning process again.

brown the meat

Next, add the carrots, onion, and celery and mix well. Cook together over high heat until the vegetables start to soften, about 2 minutes.

add the veggies

Now add the tomato paste and stir to incorporate. Cook together until the mixture becomes a thick reddish mix, about 1 minute. Then add the red wine and stir to incorporate, making sure that no bits of meat or vegetable are sticking to the bottom. Cook until the wine evaporates completely, about 2 minutes.

add the wine

cook the wine out

Add the canned tomatoes and the stock or broth. Then add the bay leaves, cumin, coriander, fennel, red pepper flakes, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Scrape down the sides of the pot again.

Bring the mixture to a low boil, and then reduce the heat to medium-low to keep the ragu cooking at a simmer. Cook the lamb, uncovered, until the liquid evaporates and the flavors meld, about 1 1/2 hours. Continue scraping the sides of the pot at regular intervals to avoid burnt bits. The meat will turn dark brown and the liquid will turn a dark orange color as it cooks.

cooking down

The ragu after it has cooked down

When it's done, all the flavors will be melded, and the sauce will look like a sauce: dark brown, rich, thick, and textured.

Look at that... can't you just taste it???

Finished Lamb Ragu

To finish the dish, cook the pasta of your choice. Drain the pasta, add it to the sauce, and stir together over the heat, adding the olive oil, butter, and mint to make it smooth and rich tasting on the tongue. Remove the pot from the heat, ladle the pasta and sauce into individual bowls, and top with the pecorino.

parmesan and mint

Make this dish on a weekend and make a double batch of it. You will WANT leftovers for lunch through the week. Oh your co-workers are gonna be SO jealous!


Chef Andrew Carmellini's Lamb Ragu

The most wonderful, slow cooked, comforting Italian dish with about ...

See Chef Andrew Carmellini's Lamb Ragu on Key Ingredient.

Comments

  1. hey! just a husband, recruiter, graphic dabbler in jersey saying your blog is great. im online a lot but never comment on anything, because i'm not into the whole social community thing, but youre great-- i try to make a recipe every month or two, this is how taxing it is for me, but I love food, and fully appreciate good cooking. nice job on your painfully-obvious instrauctions-- i like that as well as the recipe and opinions as well on each post! I put you in my thunderbird rss subs. Enjoy your sunday nite!

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  2. Anonymous - Hey, thanks a lot for the props on my blog! That was really cool of you. It's nice to hear that the work I put into this blog is appreciated. I also always love hearing that there are more people out there that love food as I do. It's so fun, so imaginative, and can bring you so much joy when prepare correctly. I'm sure the hungry husband, as well as the artist in you agrees.

    And may I suggest you make this recipe the next time you get some time to cook... you will be drooling, I promise you. Take care!

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  3. wow, what a meal! it sounds incredible, and making it from scratch, what an accomplishment :)

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  4. Tara, oh my goodness! Vegetarian husband and chef is away and I've been cooking meat for the first time in a decade. Then I clicked on your blog to find this amazing recipe. I may have to try it this weekend! Thank you very much...

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  5. It does sound fabulous!

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  6. I'm not a big fan of lamb but you make this looks fabulous!

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  7. ttfn300 - actually this recipe really isn't difficult at all, especially if you just buy the meat already ground. But honestly, if you have a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, you MUST get the meat grinder attachment. It is SO easy to use and makes it easy to grind any kind of meat. Chicken burger, anyone?

    Helen - Oooh, you should go CRAZY with the meat recipes! Oh good lord, if I lived with a vegetarian and he was away, I don't even know where I would start! Do you need a couple more ideas? Check these posts too:

    Chicken:
    http://tarathefoodie.blogspot.com/2008/06/chicken-wet-burritos.html

    Tuna:
    http://tarathefoodie.blogspot.com/2007/12/pasta-puttanesca.html

    Beef:
    http://tarathefoodie.blogspot.com/2008/06/chicago-italian-beef-sandwich.html

    kat - thanks!

    Kendra - I really think you should try this recipe if you're not too sure about lamb just yet. It's a good start to ease you into eating it. It's very very close to a beef taste in this recipe. But, if it really bother you, ground beef would work here, too, but make sure it's got a good amount of fat in it.

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  8. Hey nice blog and photos! This recipe sounds and looks so good. I will definitely try it.
    I would love for you to share this and more recipes with us at Foodista.com - the cooking encyclopedia ala wikipedia that everyone can edit.
    We also have small embeddable widgets that can help you build traffic from Foodista-related pages. Check it out here. I look forward to more of your great recipes!

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  9. Love the food! You’re amazing. This menu is fantastic:) It sure will help everyone who’s looking for a perfect menu like this. Thank you for sharing this recipe.

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  10. johnervin11 - awww thanks! I hope this blog does help those that are maybe a little nervous about trying more complex recipes because when you break them down, they're really not difficult at all... just time consuming!

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