If there is one dish I’ve cooked since Covid began that has changed my life, and my palette, it’s this slow cooked lamb ragu with fresh pappardelle. It is incredible. One of the most delicious things you’ll ever eat! I’m certainly not claiming the recipe, but due to a lack of some of the original ingredients, I wanted to share my slightly adapted version of it, and its amazingly creator, the highly acclaimed chef, Danielle Alvarez.
In terms of making the fresh pappardelle, I’ll link Danielle’s rosemary pappardelle recipe down below but honestly, I’ve cooked this using other fresh egg pasta recipes and it takes delicious regardless. I’ll link the one I use regularly down below too, which takes hardly any time to come together at all. Pappardelle is so wonderful because it’s rustic (can be hand cut) and thus can be made quickly.
Danielle Alvarez’s Lamb Ragu with Fresh Pappardelle
This intensely flavoursome and utterly unctuous slow cooked lamb ragu is truly a sensation. The original recipe belongs to acclaimed chef, Danielle Alvarez, but this is my almost identical version using lamb shanks, served with fresh pappardelle pasta. This dish is rich, complex, and one of the most delicious things you’ll likely ever eat!
- 2 kilos lamb shanks (4 x 500g lamb shanks)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 150 g diced onion (finely diced)
- 3-4 garlic cloves (minced or very finely diced)
- 100 g celery (finely diced)
- 150 g peeled carrot (finely diced)
- 1 rosemary sprig
- 200 ml red wine
- 2-3 large strips of lemon rind
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 50 ml red wine vinegar (or apple cider / white wine vinegar)
- 1 litre beef or chicken stock
- parmesan cheese for serving
- bunch of fresh parsley
- salt & pepper for seasoning
Pat dry your lamb shanks and season with salt, then set aside to get to room temperature while you prep your other ingredients (finely dicing onion, carrots, celery and garlic). Pre-heat your oven to 165 degrees C.
In a large Dutch oven set over high heat, add your olive oil and start browning your lamb shanks in batches. Once browned, removed from the pot and set aside.
Add the onions, garlic, carrot and celery into the lamb dripping and turn heat to low. Cook your mirepoix/soffrito (the flavour base made from diced vegetables) for about 12-15 minutes until softened and golden.
Add the rosemary, lemon rinds, and tomato paste and cook for another 5 minutes.
Next, add in your red wine and vinegar and turn the heat to high. Allow the alcohol to cook out and then add your stock and meat back to the pot. Bring this all to a simmer, cover with a lid and place your pot into a preheated 150-160 degree C oven for 2.5-3 hours.
After 2.5/3 hours, remove your pot from the oven and allow the meat to cool a little before pulling the meat away from the shank bones. Discard the bones along with the rosemary sprig, and put the meat back into the braise. Set your pot over a gentle stove heat and bring the braise to a gentle simmer.
Now bring a very large pot of salted water to the boil and drop your fresh pasta in. Fresh pasta only takes minutes to cook so keep an eye on it.
Once the fresh pasta is almost cooked (al dente) take it out of the water with tongs and drop it into the braise and toss evenly to cook.
Serve into warm bowls or plates, top with a fine grating of fresh parmesan, cracked pepper and freshly chopped parsley.
*Note: you don’t have to make fresh pasta but in my opinion, it just wouldn’t be the same dish without the homemade or fresh pasta.
The link to Danielle’s original recipe which calls for Beef Shin & Oxtails, can be found here. This also has the recipe to her fresh Rosemary Pappardelle.
I use this recipe to make my fresh pappardelle and its delicious and not difficult to make. I generally make this after putting the shanks in the oven, then set aside the pasta to rest for 1-2 hours, and then start rolling it out about 30 minutes before the braise is done.
Where did you get those gorgeous serving bowls from?
Hi Samantha, those bowls are antique Lunéville from France 🙂