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Photography: Nassima Rothacker

Photography: Nassima Rothacker

Recipe | Real ragu

Lottie Storey November 3, 2017

It may take more effort than a staple spag bol, but this slow-cooked brisket is well worth it

Serves 4
1kg rolled beef brisket
2 tbsp olive oil
50g unsalted butter
200g smoked pancetta, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
3 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp mixed spice
500ml red wine
500ml milk
2 dried bay leaves
2 sprigs rosemary

to serve:
500g dried tagliatelle
75ml extra virgin olive oil
Small handful parsley, roughly chopped
100g parmesan, finely grated

1 Preheat oven to 200C/Fan 180C/400F. Put the brisket into a small roasting dish and roast for an hour. Remove and allow the brisket to cool. Cut into small chunks.
2 Meanwhile heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan or casserole over a medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders down and the pancetta is slightly crispy. Add the onion, carrots and celery, stir to coat, then cook very slowly until soft – a good 20 mins at least, stirring every so often.
3 Once the veg are soft, increase the heat to high and stir in the tomato purée and mixed spice just for a minute or two, then add the wine, milk and herbs. Add the chopped brisket, bring to the boil, then reduce to a very low simmer and cook, partially covered with a lid, for 3 hours. Give the pan a stir every so often to ensure the bottom isn’t catching.
4 When the ragu is ready – it will be thick and the meat will be oh so tender – season to taste. Cook the pasta in salted water. Reserve 100ml of the pasta cooking water, then drain. Add the pasta to the ragu pan along with the reserved water, olive oil and parsley. Stir well to mix. Serve with a scattering of parmesan.

Recipe from Comfort by John Whaite (Kyle Books). 

  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

 

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In Eating Tags comfort food, issue 65, november, pasta sauce, italian
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Recipe: Tomato pasta sauce

Lottie Storey September 19, 2016

Surprise someone with a care package

Who doesn’t like receiving nice parcels? Care packages show that the joy of giving doesn’t need to be restricted to birthdays or Christmas. 

October’s issue of The Simple Things includes a few ideas for putting together care packages – and this simple tomato sauce recipe is one of the suggestions for inclusion in the House Party package. It’s a great addition for a hand-delivered package – especially for a time-pushed recipient. A quick dinner solution, this is technically a pasta sauce, but try it added to a tin of beans to make fancy baked beans. We’ve also heard that it’s pretty tasty straight out of the jar…

Serves two as a pasta sauce for dinner

10 plum tomatoes,
halved lengthways olive oil, for drizzling
balsamic vinegar,  for drizzling
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
5 basil leaves, torn in two, plus extra whole leaves for bottling


1 Preheat your oven to 160°C. Pop your tomato halves into a lined baking dish and season well with salt and pepper. Pour a generous glug of olive oil over each tomato, then follow suit with about one-third of the amount of balsamic. Mix the tomatoes, oil and vinegar together with your hands.
2 Add the garlic cloves and top each tomato half with a basil leaf half. Roast for an hour, checking every 20 minutes and rotating the dish to ensure even cooking, if necessary. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
3 When the tomatoes have cooled, spoon into a clean glass jar (or jars), adding a few extra basil leaves to the sauce, preferably where they can be seen. 
4 Fasten the lid and have fun decorating the jar, or make it a label or tag to match your care package. This will last up to a week in your refrigerator – if you don’t eat it before then!

Tip - stuff in a baguette with Fior Di Latte cheese and fresh basil leaves, or mix with a tin of cannellini, lima or haricot beans for homemade fancy baked beans. 


See page 80 of October’s issue for more care package suggestions. 

Recipe from Care Packages by Michelle Mackintosh (Hardie Grant). Photography by Chris Middleton. 

 

More from the October issue:

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  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

In Eating Tags issue 52, october, pasta sauce, tomatoes, care packages, pasta
Comment
Featured
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well
Feb 27, 2025
Feb 27, 2025

Buy, download or subscribe

See the sample of our latest issue here

Buy a copy of our latest anthology: A Year of Celebrations

Buy a copy of Flourish 2, our wellbeing bookazine

Listen to our podcast - Small Ways to Live Well

Feb 27, 2025
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The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

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