This dish is from Dubrovnik in Croatia and traditionally it's served on the feast day of the City’s patron saint, St. Blaise. The dish dates back to the days of aristocracy in Dubrovnik when the wealthy would, after having eaten all the best meat on the feast day, mix the remaining meat sauce with macaroni for their servants on feast days and at celebrations.
Usually when I make a beef ragu it is very saucy and rich. This one uses a less meat than I normally use and adds a few other simple ingredients to make a simple, yet delicious sauce. My family love it.
This is a great budget dish as you can feed many with very little meat.
Recipe
Serves 4-6
30ml olive oil
600g chuck steak, cut into a 2cm dice
3 small red onions, chopped
3 small carrots, sliced
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves of garlic, minced
300ml chicken stock
300ml full bodied red wine
600g pasta tubes, like penne, long macaroni, rigatoni
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over high heat and brown the chunks of beef in batches. Set aside until needed.
Reduce the heat to low-medium, add the onions, carrots and garlic. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Return the beef to the saucepan, add the bay leaf, season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the tomato paste and fry for a couple of minutes before adding the chicken stock and the red wine.
Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 1 1/2-2 hours, until the beef is tender.
Cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water following packet instructions, until al dente.
Drain the pasta and add to the meat. Stir well and allow to cook over a low heat for 5-10 minutes to combine all the flavours and give the sauce time to thicken and dirty the pasta.
Enjoy!
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