I didn’t really eat lamb until I moved to England. It’s not something I grew up with at all. I think I had it maybe once or twice at Indian restaurants in New York City when I lived there – I have a vague memory of a Lamb Vindaloo takeaway at a friend’s apartment – but other than that I was a lamb newbie when I moved to London. Now I find an excuse to enjoy lamb in some form or another every now and then. It’s delicious and my Lamb Ragù is no exception.
Deliciously rich with tomato, a kick of chilli pepper heat and a cooling, minty finish, this is not your average ragù. While it may look like every other pasta sauce you’ve ever had, trust me it’s not – it’s just familiar enough to be comforting but different enough to be interesting.
You can enjoy this sauce however you like, but I prefer to serve it with pasta and sprinkled with some chopped fresh mint. A nice pappardelle, preferably fresh or homemade is perfect for a meaty sauce like this, but any long pasta will work… Spaghetti, fettucine, mafalde or tagliatelle will all hold the sauce nicely. That said, I’m no snob when it comes to pasta shapes. If you want to eat this with bow-tie or shell shapes or scoop it up with a crust of bread, I won’t judge you at all. It’s delicious however you choose to serve it. I imagine it might also be nice with some polenta although I’ve never tried that combination.
I haven’t given any quantities for pasta here because this sauce makes plenty, depending on how many you’re feeding. You want about 100 grams of pasta per person and this will suit about 500 grams of pasta, so 5-6 servings. I often make this sauce, use half of it to toss with pasta for 2 generous servings and freeze the rest for an easy dinner on another day and that absolutely works too! Let’s get started.
Ingredients
- 25g butter
- 2 tablespoons garlic oil (or regular olive oil)
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried mint
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- 500g lamb mince
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 700g passata
- Sea salt flakes & freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped fresh mint & pasta to serve (optional)
Method
- Warm the oil and butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan, casserole or Dutch oven with a lid on medium heat. Stir to combine as it melts. When it’s sizzling, throw in your chopped shallots and cook until softened and translucent for about 3 or 4 minutes.
- Add the herbs and chilli and stir to combine, releasing the fragrant aromas of the herbs and coating all the shallots. Cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the lamb mince and use a wooden spoon to break it up as it cooks. Keep cooking it until it browns.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce and stir to coat the meat, sizzling in the pan as it goes and then poor in the passata, adding a little water to the empty jar to get all the dregs. Season with salt & pepper. Stir, bring to a bubble and then clamp on the lid and reduce the heat. Continue cooking over low heat for at least 20 minutes or up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. The longer you cook it, the better it will be as the meat will becomes soft, tender, less grainy and more flavoured by the other ingredients as it stews.
- Before serving, taste the ragù to check the seasoning and adjust as necessary. Serve hot with whatever accompaniment you like, sprinkled with some chopped fresh mint if you have it.
