Beef Ragu With Pumpkin And Sage

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 250 ml dry red wine
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
• 250 g diced beef, eg round steak
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 6 slices prosciutto, sliced into 1 cm pieces
• 1 (400 g) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• salt
• pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (second lot of oil)
• 250 g pumpkin, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
• 10 young sage leaves
• 2 cups short pasta
• 2 ounces fresh-grated parmesan cheese, to serve

Recipe

• 1 marinate the meat: in a glass or ceramic bowl, combine the first group of ingredients (wine, garlic, oregano, parsley, beef).
• 2 cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• 3 make the ragu: heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a thick-bottomed frying pan.
• 4 add the onion, carrot, celery and prosciutto and cook for 6 –8 minutes until soft, then remove and put into a heavy saucepan.
• 5 wipe the frying pan clean.
• 6 drain the beef, reserving the marinade.
• 7 add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, then brown the beef on all sides.
• 8 add the reserved marinade, tomatoes and sugar and cook for a few minutes.
• 9 then add this to the vegetables in the saucepan.
• 10 season with salt and pepper, cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes.
• 11 remove lid and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 30 minutes.
• 12 complete the dish: heat the second lot of oil in the frying pan and quickly crisp the sage leaves once the oil is hot enough.
• 13 drain on kitchen paper.
• 14 then fry the pumpkin in the same oil for 6 –8 minutes until it is tender.
• 15 drain on kitchen paper, keep warm.
• 16 cook the pasta in boiling salted water, then drain and divide among four plates.
• 17 top with the ragu, then scatter with pumpkin and sage.
• 18 serve with parmesan.