Sort of like a bolognese, but with lamb mince (or quorn) and mint, this dish is seriously tasty. It benefits from a long slow simmer to let the sauce thicken up around the tender meat. This is a great dish to add to your repertoire; it's easy to whip up and feed a dinner party (anyone remember those?) without anyone thinking you've opted for a bit of a basic bolognese... no hate here mind you, I'll take bolognese any day. Rather than the basil-packed bolognese, this ragu uses both dried and fresh mint which famously pairs wells with the lamb and add a lovely fresh taste. If you only have dried or fresh it's fine to just use one. I made fresh pappardelle for this - if you're going to do something you may as well go in and do it properly! You can find the recipe for fresh egg pasta here. I don't have a pappardelle attachment, but it was easy enough to simply cut into strips about an inch wide.
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion , finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, diced
2 tsp dried mint
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed chillis
500g minced lamb / quorn mince
generous splash of red wine
2 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes / passata
salt and pepper fresh mint and parmesan to serve 4 servings fresh pappardelle / tagliatelle Method
Fry the onion, carrot and garlic in olive oil until soft, then add the herbs and chilli and stir for a couple more minutes.
Add the lamb / quorn mince and cook until just browned. Add a generous splash of red wine and simmer until reduced, then add the tinned tomatoes / passata. Add a little water to the tin, swirl around to get any remaining tomato and add to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer on a low heat for an hour.
At the appropriate time, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pappardelle / tagliatelle to packet instructions (or until it floats if homemade). Finish with fresh mint and parmesan.
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