deliciousness

lamb ragu with mint

via giada de laurentiis
yield: four servings

1 pound rigatoni pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup red wine
4 cups marinara sauce 
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, torn
1/2 cup ricotta cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet warm the olive oil over high heat. Add the shallots and the garlic and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the ground lamb, salt, and pepper. Cook until the lamb has browned and the juices have evaporated. Add the wine, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan using a wooden spoon. Simmer until the wine has reduced by half. Add the marinara sauce and simmer over low heat until the flavors have blended, about 10 minutes. Add the mint and ricotta and stir until mixed. Add the pasta and stir to coat. Serve immediately.

rapid ragu

via nigella lawson
serves 4

2 tbsp. garlic oil
1 cup cubed pancetta
1 lb. ground lamb
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups sliced onions (about 2 medium onions)
⅓ cup Marsala
1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes
⅓ cup green lentils
½ cup water
½ cup grated red Leicester or Cheddar (optional)

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until the onions are a deep golden brown and soft, about 25 to 30 minutes. Make sure to use a gentle heat and cook the onions slowly so they don’t burn.

Meanwhile heat the oil in a wide, medium-sized saucepan, and fry the pancetta until beginning to crisp. Add the lamb breaking it up with a fork in the bacony pan as it browns. Tip in the caramelized onions, Marsala, tomatoes, lentils and water and bring the pan to the boil. Simmer the ragu for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Sprinkle over the cheese before serving, if using.

Notes: I used italian sausage instead of lamb, so I opted out of pancetta too. Instead of buying or making garlic oil, I just minced two garlic cloves and tossed it in after browning the sausage. Didn’t know if it made a difference, but I let the garlic brown a little in the sausage/oil for a bit, then threw in the lentils for a bit and coated it with the oil too. Also used the Marsala to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Didn’t let the ragu simmer for the whole twenty minutes because I didn’t time cooking pasta well and didn’t want it to overcook. Lentils may have been underdone but since no one in my family had had lentils before, they didn’t notice.