Veal Ragu
Hi Everyone,
it's been pretty cold here in Melbourne the last few days so I thought it was appropriate to start our recipe archive with some great Autumn food. This is a delicious ragu and works beautifully with hand made tagliatelle. I will post instructions for that next.
Cheers, Brigitte
VEAL & EGGPLANT RAGU
A beautiful and unusual pasta sauce with its roots in Italy's Lombardy region.
Made from veal mince cooked with cinnamon, white wine, tomato and golden-fried
eggplant pieces, its southern touch comes from a Calabrian chef I have worked
with, Leonardo Gelsomino, of the Grand Hotel in Richmond.
INGREDIENTS
30g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
½ a small carrot, finely chopped
½ stick celery, finely chopped
450g veal mince
375ml dry white wine
1 cup tinned Italian peeled tomatoes, pureed
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 medium eggplant
olive oil, for frying
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
parmesan, freshly grated, and parsley, finely chopped, to finish
METHOD
· In a medium pot over low heat, melt the butter and olive oil. Gently cook the
onion, carrot and celery until soft and lightly coloured (about 10-12
minutes).
· Turn the heat to high and add the veal mince. Cook, stirring until the veal
is no longer raw and there is no liquid in the bottom.
· Add half the wine and reduce before adding the rest, along with the pureed
tomatoes, cinnamon stick and cloves.
· Season with salt and pepper and add enough water to just cover the sauce.
Turn the heat to low and simmer gently, covered, for 45 minutes.
· In the meantime, cut the eggplant into two-centimetre cubes, lightly salt and
leave for 30 minutes. Rinse the eggplant pieces and pat dry, then fry, until golden
brown, in a pan with enough olive oil to come 1cm up the sides.
· Add the sliced garlic and fried eggplant to the ragu and cook for 10 minutes.
The veal should be tender and the sauce should have a thick, wet consistency
(this is especially important if using fresh pasta, which will absorb some of
the liquid); you may need to top up the water a little.
· Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves (if you can find them). Check the
seasoning and adjust if necessary.
· Toss with cooked tagliatelle or linguine and finish with a sprinkle of
parmesan and chopped parsley.
it's been pretty cold here in Melbourne the last few days so I thought it was appropriate to start our recipe archive with some great Autumn food. This is a delicious ragu and works beautifully with hand made tagliatelle. I will post instructions for that next.
Cheers, Brigitte
VEAL & EGGPLANT RAGU
A beautiful and unusual pasta sauce with its roots in Italy's Lombardy region.
Made from veal mince cooked with cinnamon, white wine, tomato and golden-fried
eggplant pieces, its southern touch comes from a Calabrian chef I have worked
with, Leonardo Gelsomino, of the Grand Hotel in Richmond.
INGREDIENTS
30g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
½ a small carrot, finely chopped
½ stick celery, finely chopped
450g veal mince
375ml dry white wine
1 cup tinned Italian peeled tomatoes, pureed
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 medium eggplant
olive oil, for frying
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
parmesan, freshly grated, and parsley, finely chopped, to finish
METHOD
· In a medium pot over low heat, melt the butter and olive oil. Gently cook the
onion, carrot and celery until soft and lightly coloured (about 10-12
minutes).
· Turn the heat to high and add the veal mince. Cook, stirring until the veal
is no longer raw and there is no liquid in the bottom.
· Add half the wine and reduce before adding the rest, along with the pureed
tomatoes, cinnamon stick and cloves.
· Season with salt and pepper and add enough water to just cover the sauce.
Turn the heat to low and simmer gently, covered, for 45 minutes.
· In the meantime, cut the eggplant into two-centimetre cubes, lightly salt and
leave for 30 minutes. Rinse the eggplant pieces and pat dry, then fry, until golden
brown, in a pan with enough olive oil to come 1cm up the sides.
· Add the sliced garlic and fried eggplant to the ragu and cook for 10 minutes.
The veal should be tender and the sauce should have a thick, wet consistency
(this is especially important if using fresh pasta, which will absorb some of
the liquid); you may need to top up the water a little.
· Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves (if you can find them). Check the
seasoning and adjust if necessary.
· Toss with cooked tagliatelle or linguine and finish with a sprinkle of
parmesan and chopped parsley.
posted by James Broadway at 10:36 AM
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