Rich beef ragu rigatoni

This dish will suit the weather perfectly for this weekend...

I also have some venison (local) in stock that could be used instead of beef for something different!

--Ian

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 500 g minced beef
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 stems of silverbeet, leaves and stalk coarsely chopped
  • 1 carrot, coarsely chopped
  • 1 onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp coarsely chopped thyme, plus extra to serve
  • 1 fresh bay leaf
  • 1 cinnamon quill
  • 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
  • Pinch of grated nutmeg
  • ¾ cup red wine
  • 2 400g cans chopped tomatoes
  • 1 cup beef stock
  • 8 swiss brown mushrooms or button mushrooms, thickly sliced
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, or to taste
  • 400 g rigatoni
  • Finely grated parmesan and crusty bread, to serve

Method

  1. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add beef and brown well, breaking up with a wooden spoon. While you’re doing this, blitz the silverbeet stalks, carrot, onion, celery and garlic in a food processor, then stir into beef along with herbs and spices. Add wine, bring to the boil and reduce by half (1-2 minutes), then add tomatoes and stock, bring to the simmer and cook for about 15 TO 20 minutes until well-flavoured. Stir through silverbeet leaves and mushrooms in the last couple of minutes cooking along with vinegar.
  2. Meanwhile, cook rigatoni in a large saucepan of generously salted boiling water until al dente, drain and toss through ragu. Serve hot scattered with parmesan and extra herbs and with crusty bread.

Cumin roasted lamb with baked eggplant and pumpkin

Ingredients

1½ kg easy carve lamb leg
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 medium eggplant cut into 3 cm cubes
600 g peeled and seeded pumpkin, cut into 3 cm pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp warm honey
100 g feta cheese, crumbled
couscous or boiled baby potatoes to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place lamb in a roasting dish and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cumin seeds. Roast for 1 hour for rare, 1 hour and 15 minutes for medium, or 1½ hours for well done.

2. Toss eggplant and pumpkin in oil and place on a tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle with the warm honey. Roast in the oven with the lamb for 40 minutes or until golden.

3. Remove lamb, cover loosely, and rest for 15 minutes before carving. Serve with the eggplant and pumpkin scattered with the feta cheese. Accompany with couscous or new potatoes.

Tips

Suggested roasting times per 500g for lamb: Lamb loin (boned and rolled), leg or shoulder (bone-in), easy carve leg or shoulder. Cook at 180ºC. Rare 20-25 min, Medium 25-30 min, Well done 30-35 min. 

Judging your roast’s degree of doneness using a meat thermometer. The internal temperature for: Rare – 55-60ºC, Medium rare – 60-65ºC, Medium – 65-70ºC, Medium well – 70-75ºC, Well done – 75ºC.

You can also use tongs to test the roast’s doneness. Gently prod or squeeze the roast – rare is very soft, medium rare is soft, medium is springy but soft, medium well is firm and well done is very firm.

Roasts need to rest for about 10 to 20 minutes before carving. This gives the juices in the meat a chance to redistribute, giving a moister and more tender result.

--Ian