General Chat Thread II

Poach and chop some skinless chicken. Cook some stuffing. Allow both to cool and mix together with mayo.

Thanks all!. Should the stuffing be cooked in the oven or can I just add it to the poaching liquid?

Right! I'm such a novice when it comes to stuffing. I remember my mother cooking baked beef tomatoes with stuffing inside, they were delicious... I should probably get her advice too!

I'm thinking I could just fry the stuffing in butter and onion to brown it a bit. Using the oven seems a bit OTT for what the end product is.

Thanks for all the input 👍

Barley is barley, buckwheat is buckwheat? They are different grains AFAIK. Not sure what you mean...

Just posting a recipe I got from NeighbourFood for an Italian ragu, or Bolognese sauce, whatever you call it!

I recently bought some minced beef from Caherbeg via NF, but have plans to make a savoury mince instead.

Real Italian Ragu

I noticed that there are some great deals on the Ingredients needed to pull off this recipe so I thought I would share.

Olives West Cork have tinned tomatoes at €2 a tin.

Caherbeg have sausage and minced beef bulk options too.

Perfect time to whip up a big batch of classic Italian Ragu!

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RAGU AND BOLOGNESE

One of the first things you learn when visiting Italy (or speaking to an Italian is that Spaghetti Bolognese doesn't exist! It's traditionally served with tagliatelle pasta and never spaghetti which is why you'll hear Italians say it.

Not only that, the sauce is not called Bolognaise!

Ragu depending on where you are in the world is a meat-based sauce usually consisting of finely chopped vegetables, ground meat and cooked in a liquid such as wine, tomatoes or stock.

Bolognese on the other hand actually means something originating from Bologna, Emilia Romagna and their classic ragu alla bolognese (ragu from Bologna) has been a little lost in translation over the years. It's very similar to this one although is often made with white wine and sometimes milk which is thought to tenderise the meat (which I use too).

There are hundreds of different types of ragu all containing different meats or vegetables like our Venetian Duck Ragu (perfect for special occasions) and our Sausage Ragu which is super easy!

A classic Italian beef ragu is easy and packed full of flavour! Not only that, I usually only make it twice a year in my biggest pot. I then portion it and freeze it and it becomes our emergancy dinner.

This ground beef ragu is made using only a few simple ingredients and can be used in so many ways. Toss it with fresh tagliatelle pasta, make it into lasagne with bechamel sauce or use it as a filling for homemade ravioli for a truly authentic Italian meal.

Slow Slow Slow

This ragu needs a minimum of 3 hours cooking time so you can easily make it only a few hours before serving it.

That being said the longer it has to simmer the better the flavour will be, just remember that you'll need to keep topping up with water or stock to stop it reducing too much. The night before allows it time to settle into itself and will be even better the next day.

Ingredients

1 carrot

1 white onion

1 stalk celery

1 tablespoon olive oil

250g ground beef (mince)

250g ground pork (mince/sausagemeat/sausages)

1 Tin tomatoes (passata or chopped)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

200mls milk

230ml red wine

1ltr beef stock

sprigs of thyme & rosemary

1 bay leaf (optional)

1 pinch salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Finely chop the carrot, onion and celery and sweat the vegetables gently in a large frying pan with the olive oil. Once the vegetables are soft remove from the pot and turn up the heat. Add the ground beef and pork and cook until browned. The fat of the pork should render to brown but the meat may stick. Scratch it with a wooden spoon.
2. Add back the soffrito (softened vegetables) and add the milk. Simmer until almost gone. Add the red wine & sprigs of herbs and reduce by half. Once the wine has reduced by half add the passata, tomato paste and half of the beef stock and a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Stir the sauce then add the bay leaf. Let it simmer on a low heat uncovered for 3 hours topping up with the rest of the stock as it reduces.

Remeber to check on the ragu every now and then to stir it and add extra stock or water if needed.

Notes

• Don't rush the soffritto or you won't get the real depth of flavour.
• Make sure to use 50/50 ground beef and pork.
• Use high-quality passata (sieved tomatoes) as cheaper brands can be very acidic.
• Try to use the highest quality beef stock or broth you can find if not homemade. This sauce is super simple so high-quality ingredients are important.
• If serving the traditional way with tagliatelle pasta then boil the pasta then add it straight into the ragu and toss to coat before serving.
• Leftover can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days and reheated. You may need to loosen with extra water or stock.
• You can also freeze this ragu just thaw completely before reheating.

Enjoy!

It's hard to say for certain, but I've never been happy with hams from Aldi and Lidl. Your method sounds grand to me. Dunnes, SuperValu and Tesco seem to have much better quality pork products. I like Aldi and Lidl for most things but I've never had a great ham from either.