4

Lamb shoulder ragù with gnocchetti

SERVES 6 // PREP TIME 1 HR, COOK 3 HRS (PLUS COOLING, RESTING)

“This is our take on the classic sauce – it’s rich and delicious,”

says Eggert. “Nothing really compares to a homemade ragù, and

once you discover pangrattato, you’ll crave it on everything.”

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 each onion, celery stalk, red

capsicum, and small fennel

bulb, cut into large dice

10 garlic cloves, crushed

1 long red chilli, split

lengthways

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 rosemary sprigs

2 thyme sprigs

2 bay leaves

2 thin strips of orange peel

1 cinnamon quill

2 each small star anise and

cloves

10 black peppercorns

100 ml red wine

1 litre (4 cups) passata

50 gm brown sugar

1 kg boneless trimmed lamb

shoulder, cut into 5cm

pieces

1 tbsp butter

Finely grated parmesan,

to serve

GNOCCHETTI

250 gm fine semolina, plus extra

for dusting

1 tbsp olive oil

ROSEMARY PANGRATTATO

120 gm (2 cups) breadcrumbs

from day-old crustless

bread processed to coarse

crumbs, then shaken in a

sieve to remove fine crumbs

100 ml extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp rosemary leaves

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 Heat olive oil, vegetables,

garlic and chilli in a large

saucepan over medium heat

and cook, stirring occasionally,

until beginning to soften and

caramelise (10-12 minutes). Add

tomato paste, herbs, peel and

spices, and stir until beginning

to brown (2 minutes). Add red

wine, passata, bring to a simmer,

then add sugar and 2½ tsp salt.

Add lamb, cover directly with a

round of baking paper or with

a lid, reduce heat to low, and

braise gently until meat is

almost falling apart (2 hours).

Leave to cool (1-2 hours).

2 Meanwhile, for gnocchetti,

mix semolina, olive oil, 125ml

cold water and a pinch of salt

in a bowl until smooth and

combined. Pat into a disc,

wrap tightly in plastic wrap

and leave to rest for an hour.

3 For pangrattato, stir

ingredients in a large frying

pan over low-medium heat

until golden brown and crisp

(15-20 minutes). Drain on paper

towels and leave to cool.

4 Skim any fat from the surface

of the ragù, remove lamb, shred

into small pieces and set aside.

Pass remaining ragù through

a mouli or coarse sieve into a

saucepan, pressing with a large

spoon to get as much pulp as

possible. Discard solids in sieve,

then reduce ragù over medium

heat until thick and glossy

(30-40 minutes). Return lamb

to ragù, adjust seasoning to

taste and keep warm.

5 Roll out gnocchetti dough

on a well-floured bench until

a 1cm-thick square. Cut into

pieces about 1cm x 3cm long,

then roll each piece lengthways

over a gnocchi board, pressing

with your thumb; if you don’t

have a board,form the shape

with a fork. Transfer to trays

dusted with semolina and

scatter with more semolina.

6 Blanch gnochetti in batches

in a large saucepan of boiling

salted water until they float

(1-2 minutes). Transfer to ragù

with a slotted spoon and stir

in butter over low heat. Serve

topped with parmesan and

rosemary pangrattato.

Wine suggestionA nero

d’Avola, such as Brash Higgins

from McClaren Vale.➤

“Nothing really

compares to a

homemade ragù,

and once you

discover

pangrattato,

you’ll crave it on

everything.”

118 GOURMET TRAVELLER