Beef & Mushroom Ragu
Aug 30, 2024With the cost of living being so expensive at the moment I've been trying to find ways to cut costs with groceries but not compromise on the quality of what we buy - which is a tricky task. Lucky for us, my husbands family have a property in country VIC and our neighbours have a fully sustainable regenerative farm, so we got a quarter of a cow and now have a freezer stocked full of premium quality beef. It's a very economical way to buy your meat (I'm keen to do it for lamb now too) so I do recommend doing some research into buying this way, direct from the farmers, if you can.
So this freezer full of beef is a mix of different cuts that I wouldn't usually buy but I love this because it's making me get creative and try new things. The cut I used for this recipe is a chuck steak which is a cheaper cut even if your just buying the meat from your butcher, but you could substitute any cut that's good for slow cooking.
The recipe here is for the ragu sauce, which you can use many different ways, however I've also included a pasta recipe too for a very delicious way to use it, and of course I pair it with a salad and add a heap of veg to keep it balanced ๐ Enjoy!
*Oh and don't forget to sunbake your mushrooms! Leaving them outside, stalk facing up, in the sun for 15 minutes can generate up to 100% of daily Vitamin D needs!
Beef & Mushroom Ragu
Makes sauce to serve 8-10
Ragu sauce:
Ingredients
1kg- 1.2kg chuck steak, cut into 4-5 large chunks
1 x onion, diced
3 x garlic, crushed
2 x carrots, diced
1 x celery stick, diced
2 cups cup mushrooms, (sunbaked*) and cut into quarters
1 x 400g can diced tomatoes
3 heaped tablespoons tomato paste
2 ½ cups beef bone broth/stock
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 2 sprigs fresh)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (or 2 sprigs fresh)
2 x dried bay leaves
Directions
Pat dry the steak with some paper towel and then season with salt and pepper. Heat a large heavy based pot on high heat, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sear the meat until browned on each side (in batches if needed). Place the meat aside on a plate. Turn the pot to low-medium and add another drizzle of extra virgin olive oil before adding the onion and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the carrot and celery, cook for another 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes.
Go in with the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, and herbs. Give it a mix and then add the beef back to the pot, submerging in the liquid. Turn the heat down to low (a blip/bubble here and there), and put the lid on to cook for 2 hours.
Check meat and if it’s tender enough to shred, remove all meat from the pot and shred with two forks. Add the meat back into the pot, keep the lid off and cook for another 30 minutes to thicken up. Season with salt and pepper and the sauce is ready to be used (see pasta recipe below) or keep in the fridge/freezer for later use.
Ragu Pasta & Salad:
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 serves your choice of pasta (I used fresh pappardelle)
1 x large zucchini
½ cup cherry tomatoes
¼ cup fetta
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
4 large handfuls baby spinach leaves (optional but great for extra veg)
Fresh basil and parmesan cheese to serve (optional)
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. During this time, prepare your salad by using a vegetable peeler to peel strips of zucchini straight into a small salad bowl (stop when you reach the core and keep that in the fridge for later use). Halve the tomatoes and add them in, crumble over the fetta and then dress with the oil and vinegar before tossing gently. Top with fresh basil if using.
Add your pasta to the pot and cook according to packet instructions (remove pasta a minute before suggested cook time for al dente which is better for our gut bugs).
Meanwhile, take another pot or large fry pan on high heat and add 4 serves (4 heaped cups) of the ragu sauce. This will thicken while your pasta cooks (take it off the heat if it thickens too much) and then add the pasta directly from the pot into the sauce, along with ½ cup pasta water. Add the spinach and mix gently for a couple of minutes to thicken more and coat the pasta well before serving.
Serve with salad and parmesan cheese.
*Sunbaked mushrooms means leaving them outside, stalk facing up, in the sun for 15 minutes as they can generate up to 100% of daily Vitamin D needs!
Looking for more slow cooks?
