As I have mentioned before, weekends and family food vary depending on how busy we all are. Roasts are a family favourite but it’s not something I cook every week. Take last week. A sunny Sunday mornings walk means one of two things for lunch. Bread & various cold accompaniments with soup if there is any. Or, something slow cooked that can take care of itself whilst we enjoy an outdoor stroll.
This is one such dish. A take on a Bolognese that came about from having some chuck steak and a chorizo in the fridge. I really wanted to make this into a smoky spiced Mexican style chilli Bolognese using chipotles and my tiny dried piquin chillies but I will have to save that version for just us parents. Children and chillies do not mix in our house. Do they in yours?
This tasty alternative pasta sauce can be left in the oven cooking away gently for anything up to 4 hours. There is a little chopping and frying involved but you could even do that in the food processor. When you return home from your morning’s activities all you have to do is put a pot on to boil for your pasta of choice. I like shells here as the sauce settles into them perfectly. You could use regular minced beef or shin of beef which works beautifully in all beefy slow cooked dishes.
- -1kilo chuck steak (chopped up into small chunks in the food processor),
- -2tbsp olive oil,
- -1 large chorizo sausage (roughly 250g) chopped into small pieces,
- -1 large onion finely chopped,
- -2 carrots peeled and chopped finely,
- -1 stick celery chopped finely,
- -1 red pepper chopped finely,
- -2 large cloves of garlic chopped finely,
- -1tsp dried oregano,
- -1tsp smoked paprika,
- -1 large glass of wine (red or white would be fine),
- -1 tin of chopped tinned tomatoes,
- -Chicken stock or water (enough to cover the sauce before it goes into the oven)
- 1. Pre-heat the oven to 140 degrees,
- 2. Heat the oil in a large oven proof casserole dish and fry off the onion, chorizo, carrot, celery and red pepper over a medium heat for 5 minutes until slightly softened but nor browned,
- 3. Add in the garlic, dried oregano and smoked paprika and fry for one minute,
- 4. Add in the chuck steak and fry off on a high heat until the meat is browned,
- 5. Pour in the wine and cook it off over a high heat until most of the liquid has evaporated,
- 6. Stir in the chopped tinned tomatoes then top up the sauce with enough stock or water so that all the meat is covered,
- 7. Bring the mixture to the boil then place on a tight fitting lid and cook in the oven for between 3 to 4 hours.
- 8. Serve with the pasta of your choice and plenty of Parmesan cheese.
Hi Dan, thanks and yes you could replace it with Pancetta or smoky bacon 🙂
It sounds gorgeously warming, perfect after a wintery Sunday walk.
Absolutely right Jude!
Hey Laura
Looks delish…could you just use minced beef instead ? Sory, looking for short cuts !!
Hoe all well with the family
Love sue xxx
Yes Sue, definitely use minced beef if you can’t get hold of chuck steak. The chorizo makes a great addition, hope it is easy to source in Zurich!
Delicious! I’d be making a massive batch and then freezing it. With a decent ragu it is astonishing how little you need to flavour the meat, which makes it a wonderfully frugal dish too.
So true Helen and yes a perfect freezer meal too. I have some there right now!
That looks really tasty, I am a sucker for anything with chorizo in it! What a great way to jazz up a pasta dish for all the family to enjoy.
This sounds divine Laura. I’ll be trying this for sure when I’m home!
Such a hearty, flavour-packed easy dish. Perfect for families. You can’t go wrong with a good ragu and this looks the business x
Yum x x x
Ooooh hellooo dinner. I would so devour that right now even if it wasn’t tea time!
I will save you some!
This. Looks. Amazing. And so easy! Totally making this one evening next week….
I hope you enjoy it Alison, and no more effort than any regular pasta sauce 🙂