"Life is not a sprint, it's a marathon." Better than starting the day with a run is waking up seeing some daylight outside. For the past couple of weeks our morning runs have been in the dark causing us to take the path with the hill on it. Or I should say hills, because we have to cross over it twice. If I ran listening to music, Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger" and Eminem's "Lose Yourself" would be two of the songs on my playlist. Heat, humidity, and hills, otherwise known as the reasons causing me to whine trifecta, are also the things only those with glutton for punishment tendencies would actually choose to endure. Come to think of it, maybe next to having competitiveness traits, this is one of the reasons why there is such a strong bond between everyone in my running group. Being amongst these kindred spirits has made my gradual post-injury return to running a little less scary.
Slow and steady not only wins the proverbial 'life' race, it makes for a rich, deeply flavored ragu. Derived from the word 'ragouter' which means 'to stimulate the appetite', the aroma coming from the making of a ragu might be considered a bit of a tease. However, the alchemy happens when the meat, vegetables, wine, and tomato paste are allowed to cook slowly and when close attention is paid to the browning processes. And yes, I said tomato paste.
The base of many ragus often begin with onions, celery, and carrots. These 'humble beginnings' are what the French call a mirepoix and the Italians call a soffrito. The slight variation in the base of this ragu is the use of fennel in place of the carrot. Fennel, a fall/winter vegetable, is a species in the carrot family, however, it has a mild anise or licorice flavor. The operative word is mild. The sweetness of the ragu coming from browned tomato taste and sweet Italian sausage, the fennel adds to the complexity of the flavor rather than adding to it. Coarsely chopped in a food processor, the onions, celery, fennel and garlic are sautéed until browned, a process that takes up to 30 minutes. These might be the most important 30 minutes of cooking time to the sauce requiring your attention as the scraped up brown bits of vegetables provides a significant amount of flavor to the ragu.
Some refer to tomato paste as one of the most valuable ingredients in your pantry. It's flavor potential is exponentially increased when the tomato paste is allowed to brown for two to three minutes. When cooked with the already browned vegetables, the sugars in the paste caramelize, causing the resulting sauce to have an even bigger, smoother, sweeter flavor. Once the vegetables and paste have browned, a hearty red wine is added. Remember never use a wine you wouldn't drink (hopefully you have a high bar for good wine). I used a merlot, but you could use a Cabernet. After pouring two cups of wine in the ragu, you should have enough left for a glass to enjoy while you cook.
Now this is going to be where in the cooking process you might say "What?". The sweet and spice Italian sausage is cooked or rather browned in the developing ragu. The first time I made it I didn't think it was possible for the sausage to brown with so many other ingredients in the pan. But they did. Once you have invested time in browning the vegetables, tomato paste and beef, the ragu only needs your periodic attention once all of the other ingredients have been added. Although the total cooking time for the ragu is close four hours, you don't need stand on your feet or stay chain to the stove for that length of time. However, every so often you need to check on and stir the sauce.
This Sweet and Spicy Ragu is a perfect compliment to any pasta having some substance. Spaghetti, penne, bucatini, ziti, pappardelle, or rigatoni are some of them (an angel hair pasta would not stand up well to this rich, heavy sauce). If you are looking to give your stuffed shells an added boost in flavor make with this ragu versus any other tomato sauce.
A while back I shared this stuffed shell recipe with you (directions provided below). I have to honestly say I like it much, much better made with this Sweet and Spicy Ragu.
Whatever you decide to pair with the Sweet and Spicy Ragu, I hope you make it. Besides it's significantly easier than running in the heat, humidity, or up hills.
Sweet and Spicy Ragu (inspired by Anne Burrell's Sweet and Spicy Ragu recipe as shared in her cookbook Cook Like a Rock Star: 125 Recipes, Lessons, and Culinary Secrets)
Ingredients
2 medium sized onions, cut into 1 inch dice
1 small fennel bulb, tops and tough middle stalk removed, cut into 1 inch dice
2 celery ribs, cut into 1 inch dice
3-4 cloves of garlic, smashed
2 cups (16 ounces) tomato paste
2 cups hearty red wine (recommend Merlot or a Cabernet)
1 pound of sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
2 bay leaves
1 thyme bundle, tied with butcher's twine
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound of cooked pasta or use for Stuffed Shells (copy of prior blog posting below)
Directions
1. Put onions, fennel, celery and garlic in a food processor, pulse to a coarse paste.
2. Coat bottom of a deep, heavy bottomed pan with extra-virgin oil. Add vegetables, season with salt and bring to medium-high heat. Cook vegetables until all liquid has been evaporated and they begin to stick to bottom of pan. Stir occasionally to scrape up brown bits. Vegetables should be cooked until browned. Cooking time approximately 30 minutes.
3. Add tomato paste and stir to combine.Allow paste to brown slightly, stir constantly and cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add wine, stir to combine and scrape any remaining brown bits in the pan. Cook until about half the wine has evaporated, approximately 4-5 minutes.
5. Add both the sweet and spicy sausage, using a spoon to break it up. Cook until meat has browned, approximately 10-15 minutes of cooking time.
6. Add enough water to cover the meat mixture by 1/2 inch. Stir to combine well and add bay leaves and thyme bundle. Bring sauce to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Continue cooking, checking occasionally, for approximately 3 hours. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Remove thyme and bay leaves. Use sauce with cooked pasta or for stuffed shells.
Notes: Sauce can be made a day ahead, covered and stored in the refrigerator.
Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
2 (15 ounce size) containers of whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/3 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tablespoons chopped Italian (flat) parsley
3 Tablespoons chopped basil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 large egg yolks
1 box of frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
1 pound box of jumbo shells
1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced or grated
Directions
1. Cook pasta shells in large pot of boiling salted water until slightly tender but still firm (about 7 to 9 minutes).2. Drain pasta shells and place on an olive oiled baking sheet. Toss shells in olive oil so they don't stick together. Cool slightly.
3. Combine all filling ingredients and set aside.
4. On the bottom of 9 x 12 baking dish, spoon 1 1/4 cups of Sweet and Spicy Ragu on the bottom of pan.
5. Using a pastry bag or tablespoon, fill each of the shells with the filling and place on top of ragu.
6. Top finished stuffed shells with 3 to 4 cups of ragu over the top of the shells.
7. Place slices of or grated mozzarella on top.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until top is lightly browned and filling in shells is cooked through.
9. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Note: The dish can be assembled the day before or earlier in the day. Cover with plastic wrap and keep chilled until ready to cook. If chilled overnight, allow to sit out at least 30 minutes before baking.
Wild life on the Fox River, Geneva, Illinois.
