Comfort
Slow Lamb Ragu Penne
This is the pasta you cook during the afternoon hours of Ramadan and leave to look after itself while you rest. Lamb shoulder, aromatics and warm spices simmer low and slow into a deep, falling-apart ragu that coats Cibo di Italia Penne Rigate magnificently. The effort is almost zero; the reward is a table that goes very quiet.
Ingredients
- 500 g Cibo di Italia Penne Rigate
- 800 g bone-in lamb shoulder pieces — ask your butcher to cut into large chunks; alternatively use boneless diced lamb
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 piece large onion — finely diced
- 2 pieces carrots — finely diced
- 2 pieces celery sticks — finely diced
- 5 pieces garlic cloves — crushed
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 800 g crushed tomatoes — two tins
- 300 ml lamb or beef stock
- 1 piece cinnamon stick
- 2 pieces bay leaves
- 1 tsp allspice berries — or 0.5 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- to taste salt and black pepper
- 3 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley — roughly chopped, to serve
- to taste chilli flakes — optional, to serve
Method
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Step 1. Pat the lamb pieces dry with kitchen paper and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large, heavy-based casserole over high heat. Brown the lamb in batches — do not crowd the pan — until deeply coloured on all sides, about 4–5 minutes per batch. Set aside.
10 min
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Step 2. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil to the same pot. Add the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, for 8–10 minutes until soft and starting to colour.
10 min
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Step 3. Add the garlic, cumin, paprika, allspice and cinnamon stick. Stir for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir for another 2 minutes until it darkens.
4 min
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Step 4. Return the lamb to the pot. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and stock. Add the bay leaves. Bring to a gentle boil, then immediately reduce to the lowest possible simmer. Cover tightly and cook for 2 hours, stirring once or twice.
120 min
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Step 5. After 2 hours the lamb should be falling apart. Use two forks to shred the meat directly in the pot, discarding any bones, the cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Stir the shredded meat through the sauce and taste for seasoning. If the sauce is very thin, simmer uncovered for 10–15 minutes to reduce.
10 min
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Step 6. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the penne rigate for 9–10 minutes until al dente. Reserve a large mug of pasta water before draining.
9 min
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Step 7. Add the drained penne to the ragu pot. Toss well, adding pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce is silky and clings to every tube.
2 min
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Step 8. Serve in deep bowls. Scatter with flat-leaf parsley and a pinch of chilli flakes for those who like heat.
Goes well with
A tall glass of rose water and pomegranate juice over ice — floral, fruity and the perfect partner to braised lamb.
Roasted aubergine slices with a drizzle of tahini and lemon — the smoke and nuttiness echo the warm spices in the ragu.
Umm Ali — a warm bread pudding with milk, cream and nuts that feels like the natural end to a slow-cooked feast.
Nutrition
Scaled to your servings
- 680kcalCalories34%
- 68gCarbohydrate26%
- 42gProtein84%
- 22gFat31%
The pasta we used
Cibo di Italia Penne Rigate
500g · Cooks in 9–11 minutes · Serves ~5
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