RomanItalian
Fusilli with Meat and Mushroom Ragù
A hearty white ragù made with chunks of beef fillet trimmings, aromatic vegetables, and mixed mushrooms, slow-cooked to perfection and tossed with fusilli pasta. Chef Max Mariola's 'killer ragù' is a celebration of rustic Italian flavours.
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- medium
Ingredients
12 items- Meat For Ragù (Filet Trimmings)Beef fillet trimmings or any good stewing meat, cut into chunks
- Clarified ButterClarified butter, for browning meat and sautéing vegetables
- OnionOnion, finely chopped
- CarrotCarrot, finely chopped
- CeleryCelery, finely chopped
- SageFresh sage: sprigs used for cooking, leaves for garnish
- White WineDry white wine, for deglazing
- SaltSalt, to taste
- Mixed Mushrooms (Pioppini and Cardoncelli)(optional) — Mixed mushrooms (pioppini and cardoncelli), diced
- Water or BrothWater or broth, as needed for cooking the ragù
- FusilliFusilli pasta (preferably from Gragnano PGI, slow-dried), or other short pasta
- Black PepperFreshly ground black pepper, for seasoning and garnish
Method
- Trim any excess fat from the meat and cut into bite-sized chunks.
- Heat a large pan with clarified butter over high heat and brown the meat on all sides. Do not overcrowd; work in batches if needed. Set aside.
- In another pan, melt a little clarified butter and sauté finely chopped onion, carrot, and celery until they begin to stick to the bottom and caramelize slightly.
- Add the browned meat to the vegetables and stir to combine.
- Deglaze with white wine, scraping any browned bits from the pan. Let the alcohol evaporate.
- Season with salt and add a few sage sprigs. Add a splash of water or broth, cover, and simmer on low heat for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding more liquid if needed.
- While the ragù cooks, dice the mixed mushrooms (pioppini and cardoncelli) into small pieces. After the ragù has cooked for about 1.5 hours, add the mushrooms and continue cooking.
- Cook the fusilli in salted boiling water until 3 minutes before al dente. Reserve some pasta water.
- Drain the pasta and transfer it to the ragù pan along with a splash of pasta water. Finish cooking the pasta in the ragù over medium heat, stirring, until the sauce coats the pasta and is creamy.
- Remove the sage sprigs. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, garnished with a few fresh sage leaves and a grind of black pepper.