Recipe: Braised beef pasta

Ingredients

• 1.2kg beef stewing steak
• Olive oil
• 1 onion
• 1 leek
• 1 carrot
• 3 garlic cloves
• 100g pancetta
• ½ tsp chopped rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 250ml red wine
• 3tbsp tomato paste
• 500ml beef stock or dissolved bouillon cubes
• 100ml balsamic vinegar
• Salt & cracked black pepper
• Fresh or dried pappardelle pasta or spaghetti
• Grated parmesan cheese

Method

1. Dice the beef, onion, leek and carrot
2. Season the beef, add to a pot with some olive oil and cook until browned all over, then set aside
3. Add the onion, leek, pancetta, carrot, rosemary, crushed garlic and bay leaf to the pot and sauté until golden, seasoning with salt & pepper
4. Add the red wine and let it reduce down for a couple of minutes until half of it has evaporated
5. Add tomato paste, beef stock and vinegar
6. Mix to dissolve the tomato paste then add in the beef
7. Cover & place in the oven for 2 ½ hours until the meat is tender enough to shred
8. Remove the beef & coarsely shred with two forks
9. Return the beef to the pot and simmer gently until the sauce has reduced and thickened
10. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water then add it directly to the beef using tongs
11. Gently toss the pasta through the beef and sauce (you can let the sauce down with some pasta water if you like) – the pasta should be mixed enough so that the beef sauce clings to the pasta
12. Serve immediately with plenty of grated parmesan