BEEF RAGÙ PAPPARDELLE

A slow-cooked beef cheek ragù, deeply rich and comforting, served with silky pappardelle — a classic expression of Tom Aikens’ love of robust, timeless Italian flavours.

INGREDIENTS

     +    
Beef Ragù

2 beef cheeks

50ml vegetable oil

1 onion, cut into 2cm pieces

4 celery sticks, cut into 2cm pieces

3 carrots, cut into 2cm pieces

2 shallots, cut into 2cm pieces

400ml red wine

1 litre chicken stock

10g thyme

½ bulb garlic, bashed

5 pieces smoked streaky bacon

200g unsalted butter

A small handful dried mushrooms

4 bay leaves

20g parsley leaves

14g coarse sea salt

4g crushed black pepper

100g plain flour (for coating the beef)

12g demerara sugar

     +    
To Cook the Pasta & Assemble

500g pappardelle

Drizzle of olive oil

Freshly chopped parsley

25g diced butter

Beef ragù

A little lemon juice

Method

     +    
Beef Ragù

Season and flour the beef cheeks, reserving any excess flour.
Heat a sauté pan over a medium heat, add the oil followed by the butter. Once the butter is foaming and golden, add the beef cheeks and colour well on all sides, turning every few minutes until evenly browned. This should take around 15 minutes. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside on a tray.

Add the carrots, celery, garlic and bacon to the same pan and cook for 12–14 minutes until golden. Add the onion and shallots, then season with the sea salt, crushed black pepper, bay leaves and thyme. Continue cooking for around 10 minutes until well caramelised.

Drain off any excess fat, add the reserved flour and cook out for 1 minute. Add the dried mushrooms, red wine, parsley and chicken stock, bringing the mixture to a gentle simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, skimming off any scum that rises.

Return the beef cheeks to the pan, cover with a parchment paper cartouche and a lid, then cook in the oven at 170°C for approximately 2 hours, or until the beef is meltingly tender.

Once cooked, remove the beef from the sauce, place on a tray and shred finely.
Place the sauce over a low heat and reduce to the desired consistency. Pass through a fine sieve twice — first pressing firmly, then a second time gently tapping. Return the sauce to a clean pan, bring to a simmer and skim thoroughly. Thicken lightly with a cornflour and water mix if needed. Add the shredded beef back into the sauce.

     +    
To Cook the Pasta & Assemble

Bring 3 litres / 6 pints of water to the boil in a large saucepan and season with 60g salt.
Add the pappardelle and cook in rapidly boiling water for approximately 12 minutes, until al dente. Drain well, reserving around 200ml of the cooking water.

Return the pasta to the pan, add the reserved cooking water, butter, a drizzle of olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, salt to taste, lemon juice and chopped parsley. Emulsify together.

Simmer the beef ragù gently until rich and sticky.
To serve, place the pasta on the plate and spoon the beef ragù generously over the top.

BEEF RAGÙ PAPPARDELLE

A slow-cooked beef cheek ragù, deeply rich and comforting, served with silky pappardelle — a classic expression of Tom Aikens’ love of robust, timeless Italian flavours.

INGREDIENTS

   +  &nbsp
Beef Ragù

2 beef cheeks

50ml vegetable oil

1 onion, cut into 2cm pieces

4 celery sticks, cut into 2cm pieces

3 carrots, cut into 2cm pieces

2 shallots, cut into 2cm pieces

400ml red wine

1 litre chicken stock

10g thyme

½ bulb garlic, bashed

5 pieces smoked streaky bacon

200g unsalted butter

A small handful dried mushrooms

4 bay leaves

20g parsley leaves

14g coarse sea salt

4g crushed black pepper

100g plain flour (for coating the beef)

12g demerara sugar

   +   
To Cook the Pasta & Assemble

500g pappardelle

Drizzle of olive oil

Freshly chopped parsley

25g diced butter

Beef ragù

A little lemon juice

Method

   +   
Beef Ragù

Season and flour the beef cheeks, reserving any excess flour.
Heat a sauté pan over a medium heat, add the oil followed by the butter. Once the butter is foaming and golden, add the beef cheeks and colour well on all sides, turning every few minutes until evenly browned. This should take around 15 minutes. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside on a tray.

Add the carrots, celery, garlic and bacon to the same pan and cook for 12–14 minutes until golden. Add the onion and shallots, then season with the sea salt, crushed black pepper, bay leaves and thyme. Continue cooking for around 10 minutes until well caramelised.

Drain off any excess fat, add the reserved flour and cook out for 1 minute. Add the dried mushrooms, red wine, parsley and chicken stock, bringing the mixture to a gentle simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, skimming off any scum that rises.

Return the beef cheeks to the pan, cover with a parchment paper cartouche and a lid, then cook in the oven at 170°C for approximately 2 hours, or until the beef is meltingly tender.

Once cooked, remove the beef from the sauce, place on a tray and shred finely.
Place the sauce over a low heat and reduce to the desired consistency. Pass through a fine sieve twice — first pressing firmly, then a second time gently tapping. Return the sauce to a clean pan, bring to a simmer and skim thoroughly. Thicken lightly with a cornflour and water mix if needed. Add the shredded beef back into the sauce.

   +   
To Cook the Pasta & Assemble

Bring 3 litres / 6 pints of water to the boil in a large saucepan and season with 60g salt.
Add the pappardelle and cook in rapidly boiling water for approximately 12 minutes, until al dente. Drain well, reserving around 200ml of the cooking water.

Return the pasta to the pan, add the reserved cooking water, butter, a drizzle of olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, salt to taste, lemon juice and chopped parsley. Emulsify together.

Simmer the beef ragù gently until rich and sticky.
To serve, place the pasta on the plate and spoon the beef ragù generously over the top.

We use cookies to understand how you use our website and to improve your experience. To learn more about our use of cookies and our approach to data privacy, please see our privacy policy. By continuing to use our website, you accept our use of cookies.

ok