A few yeas ago I traveled to Naples, Italy and had the best pasta I have ever eaten at Tandem Ragù. A quaint and charming neighborhood spot, Tandem serves both their classic Neapolitan Ragù and Neapolitan Genovese in addition to a unique Vegan Ragù. With both indoor and outdoor seating, Tandem is the perfect spot for people watching while stuffing your face with the best pasta Naples has to offer.
Instead of taking another flight to Italy, I created this delicious ragù recipe to bring the unique flavors and delicate charm of Italy right to your kitchen!
Italian Style Rag
Ingredients
Instructions
Chop up carrots and onion into small finely cut pieces. Before pouring the chopped carrots and onions into the saucepan, cover the bottom of the pan with olive oil.
Over medium fire, set the veggies to a simmer and cover the pan. Stir every 2 minutes for 8-10 minutes until the onions are browned.
While the veggies are simmering, cut up the beef brisket into small pieces, about 1/2 inch squares. Season with salt, pepper, parsley flakes, and thyme leaves.
Along with the meat, add a bit more olive oil to the pan. Stir and let simmer for 20 minutes.
While the meat and veggies are simmering, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add pasta. I prefer to use thick pasta with ragù, but feel free to use your favorite type of pasta. I chose to use Seggiano tagliatelle organic pasta.
After beef has been simmering for 20 minutes, remove beef from pot. Shred beef with two forks (will take some man power and arm strength— a perfect mini arm workout). After the beef is shredded, return the meat to the pan and add a splash of olive oil or red wine.
Let beef simmer for 20 more minutes, adding in 2/3 cup beef broth and tomato paste. Then, mix in 1 1/4 cup crushed canned tomatoes and stir to combine all ingredients.
After 10-12 minutes of cooking, remove and drain pasta. To serve, I like to place about a 1/2 cup of the ragù on a bed of pasta. You can also mix in the ragù with pasta by transferring the ragù to a fresh pot and gradually mixing in a cup of water along with the pasta. For an extra kick, sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top. Buon Appetito!