Pappardelle with Lamb Ragù

Pappardelle with lamb ragù is a rich and flavorful dish, ideal for a nice Sunday lunch or for a festive special occasion. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 500 g of pappardelle
• 500 g of ground lamb
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 rib of celery
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 glass of red wine
• 400 g of tomato pulp or peeled tomatoes
• Meat broth as needed
• Grated Pecorino cheese as needed
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• (Optional) a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme

Preparation

1. Start by preparing the soffritto: finely chop the onion, carrot, and celery. In a large frying pan or saucepan, sauté everything with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the peeled garlic cloves.

2. Once the soffritto is golden, add the ground lamb and let it brown until it is well colored on all sides. At this point, if you like, you can also add some herbs such as rosemary and thyme.

3. Deglaze with a glass of red wine and let the alcohol evaporate. Then, add the tomato pulp or peeled tomatoes. If necessary, adjust with salt and pepper.

4. Let the lamb ragù cook on low heat for at least an hour and a half, adding a ladle of meat broth from time to time to prevent it from drying out too much and to enrich the flavor of the sauce.

5. In the meantime, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pappardelle according to the package instructions, but keep the pasta al dente.

6. Once cooked, drain the pasta saving some of the cooking water and transfer the pappardelle to the pan with the ragù. Mix the pasta well with the sauce, adding a little cooking water if necessary to make it creamy.

7. Serve immediately with a generous sprinkling of grated Pecorino cheese.

Curiosities

Lamb ragù is typical of the cuisines of some regions of Italy, such as Umbria and Tuscany, where this meat plays a predominant role in the gastronomic tradition. Often accompanied by a robust red wine, this dish is a true comfort to the palate.