Name: Lamb Ragu Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if needed; 800g boned shoulder of lamb, trimmed of excess fat and cut into cubes.; 2 medium onions, sliced finely; Salt; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 2 celery stalks, minced; Leaves from 4 thyme sprigs; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 3 bay leaves; 2 carrots, peeled, halved lengthways, and then halved across; 2 cans diced tomatoes; ½ sundried tomatoes, diced; 1 ½ cups lamb, beef stock or water; 1 bottle red wine; Freshly ground black pepper; 500g Tagliatelle; 2 round pieces of feta cheese; 3 tablespoons finely chopped basil leaves.; 125g Pecorino, grated

Lamb Ragu Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes

Recipe by ElmarieCourse: Dinner, Lunch

This is one of my go to recipes that I so often tweak a bit. It gives you the comfort that it needs to and explodes with Italian flavours. When I tasted Middelvlei Momberg Pinotage I immediately thought of this recipe. It compliments each other so well.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if needed
800g boned shoulder of lamb, trimmed of excess fat and cut into cubes.
2 medium onions, sliced finely
Salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 celery stalks, minced
Leaves from 4 thyme sprigs
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 bay leaves
2 carrots, peeled, halved lengthways, and then halved across
2 cans diced tomatoes
½ sundried tomatoes, diced
1 ½ cups lamb, beef stock or water
1 bottle red wine
Freshly ground black pepper
500g Tagliatelle
2 round pieces of feta cheese
3 tablespoons finely chopped basil leaves.
125g Pecorino, grated

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200C.
Into the largest saucepan or casserole you have that will go into the oven, pour 3 tablespoons of the oil. Brown the meat in batches over high heat and remove with a slotted spoon to a plate nearby. You may need more oil as you do this. The onions will certainly need it, so pour the remaining oil or add more, add the onions, sprinkling a little salt over them and cook then until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, celery, thyme, and oregano.
Add the meat to the mixture in the pan, cover with the remaining half, add the bay leaves, carrots, tomatoes, sundried tomatoes stock and wine. Bring to a boil and let bubble for about 3 minutes. Then cover, transfer to the oven, and bake for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or cook on a very low heat. The meat should be tender. Remove the carrots and bay leaves and season, to taste, with the salt and pepper.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When it boils, add the salt and then pasta. Cook this until it’s nearly but not quite cooked; it should have a couple of minutes still to go.
Then drain the pasta and add it quickly to the bubbling juices in the casserole, making sure first that there are enough bubbling juices. You don’t want the meat to be drowned, but you want enough for the pasta to be covered. The pasta will absorb some of the liquid as it finishes cooking, of course.
In a couple of minutes, the pasta should be cooked. Crumble some feta and pecorino and put in a bowl with the chopped basil.