Lamb Ragù

With Middle Eastern Spices on Paccheri

Most Americans are familiar with the Italian dish known as ragù, a meat-based sauce usually served over pasta. Surprisingly, the term is derived from the French word “ragout” and reached northern Italy along with Napoleon’s occupation of that area. Recipes for ragù are often made with pork, beef, veal or a combination thereof but Italian regional specialties can include many variations of game.

I recently purchased some ground lamb expecting to make lamb patties for dinner. On a whim, I changed my mind and made a lamb ragù with Middle Eastern spices, served over large tubular pasta known as paccheri. The chewiness of the larger pasta perfectly offset the earthiness of the lamb. In keeping with the more exotic flavors, I topped the ragù with snipped fresh spearmint and a dollop of sour cream. The spiciness in my recipe came from a combination of cumin and harissa paste, but if you don’t have any harissa on hand, you can add some heat with sriracha or crushed red pepper instead.

Pacherri pasta is available in many displays of specialty pasta in the area. Another good option would be to use large rigatoni pasta or even “mafalde” which are long rectangular fettuccini-like ribbons with ruffled edges.

LAMB RAGÙ

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon harissa paste (or sriracha) or ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1½ pounds ground lamb
1 small (4 ounce) can of tomato paste
1 pound paccheri or large rigatoni pasta
Chopped fresh mint and sour cream, for serving

In a large pot, cook the pasta al dente as directed on the package. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water before draining.

While the pasta cooks, make the ragù. In a large skillet sauté the onion in the olive oil until soft. Add the garlic and continue sautéing on low heat for another couple of minutes.

Add the cumin, salt and harissa and stir well to distribute the spices. Add the ground lamb and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes until the lamb is browned and cooked through. Break up any large chunks with a wooden spoon.

Add the tomato paste and continue cooking until the ragù is heated throughout. If the ragù seems too thick, add a little of the reserved pasta cooking water, a couple tablespoons at a time, stirring well after each addition until you achieve the perfect consistency for the sauce.

Put a serving of the paccheri in a shallow bowl topped with ragù. Garnish with some fresh mint and a dollop of sour cream, if preferred.