BEEF SHIN RAGU

Autumn is in full swing and even though we had such lovely weather so far, the days are getting colder and the nights are longer. This calls for comfort cooking. The kind of cooking that takes long, but its worth the wait. I'm talking stews, casseroles and hearty soups.
My flatmate overheard me that I wished for a pressure cooker. She kindly bought me one for my birthday last year. It has been sitting on the shelf ever since as I was too scared to use it. I don't have much experience with it, only the horror stories how it explodes! Also I remember that my mum used it a lot and produced most delicious meals in it.  I gave it a go and cooked this amazingly tasty beef ragu. It was supposed to be from beef shin but since i didn't find this cut last minute, I used braising steak which worked well too.

If you don't have the pressure cooker just use a casserole dish and cook it in the oven, slowly for 3 hours or so. It is important to brown the meat in a pan well, this will add flavour. As with most Italian cooking, the base of the sauce is celery, carrot and onion, all finely chopped, with added garlic and herbs and a glass of good red wine. I don't understand wine much, most of the times I buy what is visually appealing, with a well designed sticker. Foolish I know.

 The first time I had this dish was in Polpetto restaurant in London's Soho. They make small Italian dishes that people can share. I didn't really want to share this one. I think I still didn't get it quite the same, but it was tasty nevertheless.
In the restaurant it was served with pasta called strozapretti, little twisted thin shapes. These are available only in Italian deli's and come with a high price. You can use any shape you like, I had penne at home so that's what I cooked.

This recipe produces a lot sauce. I recommend you call some friends or family to help you eat it. I think I had it for lunch three days after I cooked it.

Here is how you make it:

Ingredients
600-700g beef shin or braising steak
oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 tsp fresh oregano leaves,
3 tablespoons tomato puree
2 anchovy fillets, chopped
1 cup red wine, around 250ml
2 cups beef stock
1 bay leaf
salt, pepper
Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 150C if not using pressure cooker.
Season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat 2 spoons of oil in a large frying pan over high heat and brown the meat all over, Do not overcrowd the pan, do it in batches if it doesn't fit. Set the beef aside.
At this point, get the pressure cooker ready. Put another spoon of oil in and on medium heat cook the onion, garlic, celery and the carrots. Add the oregano and cook for about 5-7 minutes until soft and translucent. ( If you don't have the pressure cooker, prepare everything in a casserole dish and cook it in the oven for 3 hours).
Add the tomato paste and anchovies , cook another few minutes. Add the wine, turn up the heat and let it bubble for a minute or so. Now add the stock and the bay leaf. Add the beef and the juices to the cooker, cover with a lid and cook on medium heat until the steam starts coming out. After this loin turn down the heat and cook for 30 minutes. Turn of the heat and let the cooker cool down before you open the pan.
Meanwhile cook your pasta. Traditionally papardelle is used with this type of sauce, or you can use anything you have at home.
Take out the chunks of meat onto a chopping board and using two forks pull the meat into small pieces. Put it back into the sauce and grate some Parmesan cheese in it, to give it a creamier texture.

Drain your pasta, season, divide into bowls and spoon the ragu on top. Grate some more Parmesan and garnish with small herbs such as parsley or basil.