Slow Cooked Rosemary Lamb Ragù

Lamb Ragù is a wonderful way to use lamb shoulder for a generous, slow-cooked meal that feels far more luxurious than the cost suggests. This is the sort of cooking I love – humble ingredients, cooked with care, turned into something special, comforting and utterly delicious!

Slow Cooked Rosemary Lamb Ragù

I have a huge soft spot for ragù pastas (proof – beef, mushroom, sausage, fish, chicken in Dinner and duck in Tonight). And now we’ve arrived at lamb, which had me briefly worried – have I come to the end of my ragù journey?

That thought was fleeting because there are so many more! Firstly, I haven’t even shared Ragu alla Bolognese yet, then there’s Neapolitan Ragù, Genovese, pork ragù, countless more seafood ragùs and will I venture into exotic meats….?? (Boar, hare, rabbit!). Clearly, we’re nowhere near the end. 😂

But today, it’s good old lamb. We Aussies love lamb – and wow, ragu is a spectacular way to use it that really makes the most of this rich meat!! I also love that one lamb shoulder makes a generous 7 to 8 servings – almost twice as many as when I serve it as a roast. More lamb to go around! 🙂

A note on authentic lamb ragù – Ragù d’Agnello

Ragù d’Agnello is a traditional Italian lamb ragu, particularly in central and southern Italy where lamb is widely used, though like so many Italian dishes there are countless regional and family variations. The lamb is often chopped into small pieces then slowly simmered in a red wine and tomato sauce.

My version today uses large pieces of lamb shoulder which I slow cook until fall-apart tender before shredding – I love how the strands act like mops for the rich sauce. Though I shred rather than stew lamb pieces, the flavours and cooking method are very typical of traditional Italian Ragù d’Agnello – the use of red wine in a tomato base sauce that is built around a soffrito, infused with beautiful rosemary flavour. And slow cooking patience to let the flavours develop and the lamb to become beautifully tender.

Also, introducing a new pasta shape today – capunti paesani! Love seeing more rustic Italian pasta shapes filling the shelves these days, this canoe-shaped pasta is ideal for shredded-meat-catching!

Ingredients in Slow Cooked Rosemary Lamb Ragu

Here’s what you need to make Lamb Ragu.

1. BONELESS LAMB SHOULDER

Lamb shoulder works best for this ragu. It’s a slow cooking cut of lamb that shreds beautifully, it’s literally made for ragu! I use boneless lamb shoulder then cut it into 3 equal pieces for more surface area to brown (which = flavour) and is easier to handle than one large piece.

Other cuts – Lamb shank would be my next best substitute (the meat only, if it’s on the bone, there’s too much volume for the amount of liquid here), a wonderful lamb cut for slow cooking except the big difference is that it doesn’t shred into strands like shoulder does. It kind of crumbles into smaller pieces. Beautiful flavour, just a different texture – if you use shanks, use short pastas (orecchiette would be ideal).

Boneless lamb leg will work too, though bear in mind leg is actually quite lean, it is not marbled with fat like shoulder so the meat won’t be as succulent. The sauce goes a long way to compensate though. 🙂

2. for the ragu

And here’s everything else you need:

• Rosemary – 3 long sprigs, enough to cut 5 x 10cm/4″ sprigs and 1 tablespoon of finely chopped rosemary. Rosemary goes so well with lamb and the rosemary flavour in this is un-missable! But we don’t venture into the too-much-rosemary territory which can make things taste a little soapy. It really can.

  Fresh rosemary infuses the ragu with rosemary flavour in a way that dried never can, but if that’s all you’ve got, it wouldn’t stop me from making this!

• Bay leaves – A classic slow-cooking herb that adds subtle earthy, savoury depth to the ragu. Fresh is best if you can, though dried will work too.

• Red wine – Adds richness, depth and complexity to the ragu. We reduce it well so the alcohol cooks off and the flavour concentrates, leaving behind savoury sweetness rather than a winey taste. Use a full-bodied one if you’ve got it (like merlot, cabernet sauvignon), else anything that’s not too sweet or woody (pinot noir always works). Substitute with 0% wine or more chicken stock.

• Canned tomato – Just one can. I don’t want the sauce too tomatoey which can overwhelm the lamb flavour.

• Tomato paste – This helps thicken the sauce and add tomatoey richness, but it’s not sour nor does it make the ragu overly tomatoey because it’s cooked off before adding the liquids which rounds the flavour and deepens the colour from red to a dark crimson.

• Chicken rather than beef stock (broth) – This is the liquid for the ragu. I did try with water initially but just felt it wouldn’t hurt for a bit more depth in the sauce. I opted for chicken rather than beef stock because it lets the flavour of the lamb come through more, because I also use beef stock cubes (below).

• Beef stock cubes (bouillon cubes) – This is what I use for most of the seasoning in this ragu, rather than salt, because it has more flavour and gives the sauce more depth of flavour. You can substitute with chicken stock cubes, or salt if you don’t have either.

• Onion, carrot, celery and garlic – These make the soffritto, the classic Italian flavour base made by gently cooking finely chopped vegetables until soft and sweet. I grate the carrot and celery so they cook faster and practically melt into the ragu, adding flavour without noticeable chunks.

3. best pasta for ragu

To choose a pasta shape, just think – meat catching abilities. 🙂 My (current) go-tos are pappardelle (classic choice) and capunti paesani, the rustic Italian boat shaped pasta pictured in this post (I get it from Harris Farms).

Pappardelle is the popular choice for rich meat-based ragus because its wide surface gives all that sauce and shredded meat plenty to cling to. But there’s many other options! Any not-too-delicate pasta shapes that is shaped so the shredded meat will tangle or catch will be great here, such as:

• mafaldine (fettuccine with curly ridges)

• rigatoni

• capunti paesani (as mentioned above the photo)

• casarecce

• fusilloni (large spirals)

• paccheri (large tubes)

Basically, if you look at a pasta shape and think yep, bits of lamb will get stuck in that, it’s a good choice. 🙂

Just avoid fine pastas (like angel hair) and really small pastas (like risoni/orzo or ditalini). The hearty ragù will just swamp them.

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How to make Slow Cooked Rosemary Shredded Lamb Ragu

This will take close to 3 hours to cook – 2 1/2 hours of slow cooking plus searing and sautéing time. It keeps perfectly so it’s a good one for making up to 3 days ahead, or you can even freeze it for up to 3 months. But the tossing with pasta part must be done just prior to serving, for optimal eating experience!

1. Cooking the ragu

1. Brown lamb pieces – Sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper, then brown the pieces well in a large heavy based pot. We’re not trying to cook them through here, we are just getting colour on the surface which adds flavour into the ragu – both on the lamb itself and from the brown bits left on the base of the pot (called fond). Once browned, transfer into a bowl.

   Don’t skimp on the oil else the lamb will just burn rather than go golden brown. And work in batches, whatever you can fit in your pot. I do 2 in the first batch, then 1 for the second batch.

2. Slow soffritto – Let the pot cool slightly and scrape out any black bits (loose pepper, meat scraps). If the pot is looking dry (depends how fatty your lamb was), add a bit more oil and heat it over medium heat. Add the onion, grated carrot, celery, garlic and chopped rosemary – this is our soffritto, the flavour base for the ragu. Cook slowly until the vegetables are soft and sweet, about 7 – 8 minutes. Don’t let them brown and don’t rush this step – it’s key for building beautiful flavour in the ragu.

3. Tomato paste – Turn the heat up to high and add the tomato paste. Cook it for 1 1/2 minutes or until it changes from red to dark crimson. In this step we’re taking the sourness out of the tomato paste and adding depth of flavour by caramelising it.

4. Wine reduction – Add the wine and bring it to a simmer, scraping the base of the pot, to release any fond so it dissolves into the liquid. Simmer rapidly until it reduces by half. Concentrating the flavour of the wine adds richness into the ragu sauce, as well as cooking out the alcohol and winey flavour.

5. Ragu sauce – Add all the ragu sauce ingredients in: tomato, stock, bay leaves, 3 rosemary sprigs (reserve the other 2), crumbled beef stock cubes, salt and pepper. Mix, then add the lamb in along with any juices pooled in the bowl.

6. Slow cook – Bring it to a simmer, then put the lid on and reduce the heat to low so it’s simmering very gently, just a few gentle bubbles here and there. Slow cook for 2 – 2 1/2 hours, or until the lamb is easy to shred with 2 forks. (Well marbled meat softens faster).

7. Shred lamb – Remove lamb from the pot, and leave the pot on the stove. Turn the heat up to medium and let it simmer without the lid to start reducing and concentrating the flavour of the sauce. Shred the lamb with two forks. Use scissors if needed to cut really long strands! Then return the lamb into the pot.

8. Simmer for 30 minutes on medium or until the sauce has reduced and thickened into a rich ragu sauce. Taste and add more salt if needed.

   Then turn the stove off, cover, and keep warm while you cook the pasta. Or let it cool and keep it for 4 days, or freeze for 3 months.

2. TOSSING WITH PASTA

If you’ve gone to all that trouble to make a beautiful ragu, it’s almost criminal just to dump it on pasta! Toss the cooked pasta with the ragu so the sauce and meat cling to every piece and end up in your mouth where they belong, rather than sadly pooled at the bottom of the bowl. Italian Nonnas will roll over in their grave if you skip this step! 🙂

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water per the packet directions minus 1 minute so the pasta is slightly underdone. It will finish cooking in the ragu sauce so the pasta absorbs all the tasty flavour.

2. Reserve water – Just before draining, scoop out a jugful of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.

3. Toss – Return pasta into the pasta cooking pot with 5 cups of the ragu. Add 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water, then over medium heat, toss with 2 wooden spoons for about 1 – 1 1/2 minutes or until the pasta is stained red and there’s no ragu sauce pooled in the bottom of the pot.

   If at any time the pasta gets too sticky or thick, add another slosh of the pasta cooking water to loosen and toss again.

4. Warm bowls – Serve in warmed pasta bowls, or a big sharing bowl, with parmesan sprinkled on top. As with all pastas, it is best enjoyed as soon as it is cooked, while the pasta is steamy and slippery, so yell for everyone to get to the table, pronto!!

What to serve with Lamb Ragu

For a lovely Italian feast, start with something light like Tuna Carpaccio and some hot fresh Focaccia with a good olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping, and a lovely bowl of Sicilian olives on the side. If you’re short on time, try this Quick Focaccia – it’s been a hit with readers! (Or, you know…just buy it. It’s okay!)

Then serve the Lamb Ragu with a Balsamic Rocket Salad – and if you didn’t serve focaccia to start, what about a side of Garlic Bread?

And if you’re going all out, there can surely be no better way to finish than with a big dish of Tiramisu! Then don’t forget to drop me an invitation please…. 🙂 – Nagi x

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Watch how to make it

Life of Jaffle

Have you ever seen a dog eating pappardelle? It’s quite the spectacle, the way it slaps all over his face. Holding it from above doesn’t help. 😆