This dish based on a recipe from northern Italy is really one where you need to get your calculators out. Depending on how meaty you like your meal (if at all) it's supremely adaptable, from an easy multiple-meal rendition for small households, to a veritable extended family feast.
It's not that hard to explain: there is no point in trying to cook the sauce for this dish—somewhere between a ragù and a slow-braised beef—in any smaller portions because it is based on the readily available, minimum sizes of the majority of ingredients most widely sold in supermarkets. But note, it will produce enough sauce for multiple meals for singletons or even enough for a group meal for between 6 to 8 people, depending on how "saucy" you like you carb of choice. So, yes, a bit of an on-the-fly exercise in scaling.
It keeps well, sealed in the fridge for a few days and freezes well, readily (thawed) and re-heated in a microwave or by other safe and sensible method.
Shopping list
for the sauce (this will serve anywhere between 6 and 8 diners)
400g lean beef, cubed
2 small/or 1 large onion, red or brown; diced
400g chopped tomatoes, tinned or fresh (preferably Italian plum tomatoes)
1 large red pepper (or two small), diced
Approx. 200g passata (or, failing that, 4 tabspns tomato purée)
1 beef or vegetable stock cube ( or the equivalent in fresh stock)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 heaped tspns of cubed smoked garlic (or 3 cloves of garlic, crushed)
2 bay leaves
1 large glass of red wine (optional)
150g green asparagus (it doesn't matter whether they are "tips" or not but you want the chunkier, larger asparagus, not the fine, younger versions)
olive oil , at least 5 or 6 tbspns
A handful of fresh basil leaves (optional)
parmesan (or Grana Padano or aged Pecorino Romano) cheese, to dress (optional)
for the salad
This salad offers a wonderful "bite and bitterness" in contrast to the supremely smooth tones of the sauce. It's a great way to get the chlorophyll fix as part of your 5-a-day . However, if you prefer, opt for a more classic green salad.
fresh rocket (arugula), (approx.30g per dinner)
fresh cucumber, cut into 'batons' or cubed; about 7cm of cucumber per diner
7 or 8 pitted black olives per diner; halved
3 or 4 pickled green "Turkish" peppers per diner, finely sliced (opt for jalapeños if you prefer it even spicier)
a little extra virgin olive oil
a little balsamic vinegar
a little lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
Black poppy seeds (optional)
for the quintessential carbs
The version shown here is served with common-or-garden fresh gnocchi ( 400g for 2 to 3 dinners). Bear in mind that this uses less than half of the sauce, and yet it's pretty indulgent. So, unless you're having a veritable dinner party for a big communal occasion, you can usually get 2 to 3 generous meals from this recipe for the sauce, each for 2 to 3 diners, depending on how hungry or foodonistic you are.
Other personnel favourite recommended carbs accompaniments are:
bucatini
paccheri
polenta
But, it also works very well with:
penne (or pretty much any pasta)
rustic bread
baked or roast small potatoes
Since the sauce is definitely enough to feed a multitude or deliver multiple meals, mix the carbs up for each outing. In terms of sauce-to-carb ratio, that's a matter of personal preference. So, decide for yourself. My primary tip is that this is a great dish for those occasions when you need to "stretch" a meal to feed unexpected hungry mouths at the last minute (as long as they're not being expected to be fed for at least 3 hours).
Cooking Method
the sauce
Heat a large, fairly deep, wide saucepan (with a lid), simultaneously heating 4 to 5 tbspns of olive oil. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the chopped/diced onions and allow to sweat
As soon as the onions soften, but are not yet brown, add the (smoked) garlic. Stir continuously to prevent sticking. Once the onions show signs of browning, add the diced red pepper and continue to stirring. Lubricate with a few dabs of red wine; allow the alcohol to boil off. Add a little freshly ground black pepper as you go
While these vegetables are cooking, dilute your stock cube of choice in about a cup of boiling water; you may not use it all. (If you are using tomato purée rather than passata, dilute your stock cube and tomato purée together in a large cup of boiling water). Add "dashes" of this liquid and further splashes of red wine to keep these foundation vegetables moist and not sticking as they soften
When the foundation veggies are soft (but not fully cooked), add in you beef cubes and a bit more olive oil. Stir the mix continually so that the meat is sealed on all sides. Then reduce to a medium heat
Add the chopped tomatoes and stir in gently, adding additional red wine, a splash at a time, and the bay leaves. Add the passata and a little diluted stock (or the purée and stock liquid), little by little, until the meat and foundation veggies are ¾ covered by the liquid. Gradually increase the heat until the mixture boils. Cover and allow to boil vigorously for no more that 5 min
Uncover, and stir thoroughly to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. Season with a little more ground black pepper and a little salt (if desired; I never add it)
Reduce the heat drastically and re-cover. For the next 10 to 15 minutes, you need to perform a little "kitchen ballet". Your mission is to get the heat setting exactly right so that, when covered, the saucepan contents do not simmer so much as gently bubble
Over the next 2.5 to 3 hours, return to the pot every 20 to 30 mins, stirring to ensure that nothing sticks to the bottom. During this time, add the remainder of the wine and stock, balancing thickening against how much you think should be added to keep it moist but reducing to the perfect consistency that is neither too thick nor too liquid
About 30 to 40 mins before it's due to be ready, add the asparagus (and fresh basil if you're using it). Continue with the same slow-cooking process until, upon tasting it, you want to guzzle it all
Turn off the heat and allow the sauce to settle. Plate, spooning over your preferred carb of choice. Or, allow it to cool and divide into the portions you wish to use at a later point for refrigeration and/or freezing. This is one of those sauces that really benefits from cooking a day before you first serve it
the salad
Plate the rocket and sprinkle over the cucumber, black olives and pickled green peppers. (Alternatively, chuck it all into a help-yourself salad bowl, especially if doing a meal for a larger group)
Dress with a little squeezed lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Finally, garnish with freshly ground black pepper (and the optional black poppy seeds)
the carbs of choice
Prepare your preferred pasta or other carbs of choice according to the directions of the producer. You don't need to worry too much about getting the sauce and carbs to align in readiness: this sauce is readily re-heatable; on the go or much later
Work out whether you want to "spoon over" the sauce or add it to the pot of the drained pasta and mix it in (no, obviously don't try that with bread, polenta or potatoes before plating)
Decide whether you're plating the (optional) hard cheese or allowing diners to add it at the table. The only reason I mention it is that, contrary to all my expressed opinions elsewhere, I actually find that this dish works best with a sparing amount of extremely finely grated cheese rather than hearty slivers. But, of course, it's a personal choice
Variations
Okay, so not the easiest "all round" dish, despite it being fundamentally a classic Italian tomato sauce recipe, but here goes...
Other red meats: undoubtedly cubed lamb is the best meat alternative and can be cooked pretty much by exactly the same method. The result is surprisingly similar to one of my favourite agnello dishes from Lombardy that I've yet to share here. Just remember that lamb is fattier than beef and you can therefore reduce the amount of olive oil you need to add at the earliest stages (and stir more often to prevent sticking). Pork, no idea; never tried
Pescatarian: the only version that has ever worked for me was using pretty large cubes of salmon. First, seal them in a separate pan with a little olive oil or butter until the outside is barely cooked. Only then add to the sauce, about 5 mins before you plan to turn off the heat completely. NB: no idea how well (or how safely) this would store in the fridge or freezer. I've only ever pulled this off as a direct-to-table dish. And, FYI, other fish versions I tried were severely gross, though I have yet to try it with calamari or octopus, which I suspect might work
Veggie/Vegan: Depending on which carb you opt for (i.e. egg or no-egg pasta/bread etc.), in this case there isn't much difference. Overall, I found the best outcome to be massively (i.e. trebling) your chunky asparagus content. Cook as per the recipe ignoring the meat (so essentially a classic Italian tomato sauce) and then add your asparagus as you would at the point in the recipe above and, it's so delicious. Not tried any of the tofutastic options to date, so no idea yet. What I can say, is that if using large chunks of aubergine, it only works (similar to the poultry or fish options) if you seal the aubergine in a separate pan with a little oil (I found, rolling them in fine corn flour before sealing them really made a difference) before adding them about 10 to 15 mins before the sauce is ready. If you add the aubergine too early, it becomes a slimy hazard of questionable contribution
Poultry: oddly similar to the the fish and veggie versions. Simply swapping out chicken or duck for beef really doesn't work—unless you're after a really great "Italian style" chicken soup instead of a pasta/carb sauce. What does, however, is rolling pretty large chunks of poultry in a seasoning mix of ground black pepper, a little rock salt, dried basil, lemon thyme and paprika (the Hungarian kind, not pimentón) and allowing it to rest for a couple of hours. Then coat these goujons in a little flour (plain or hipster almond flour), sealing them in very hot olive oil in a shallow pan, and finally adding them to the sauce no earlier than 15 to 10 mins before it's ready
Accompaniments
This dish works with a full range of wines and beers based on past experience. But at the moment I am particularly loving it with Fever Tree Italian Blood Orange Soda and a few blocks of ice. Cin cin!
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