Baked Pasta with Ragu and Gorgonzola Sauce
By Mary Davis
Serves 8-10
Mary Davis Tips on Cooking with Wine
When Cooking, Make Wine a Good One
Ragu:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 lamb shanks, about 1 pound each (or a combination of lamb shanks and beef on the bone,
such as short ribs or steak.)
1 1/2 cups finely diced onions, preferably sweet
2 meaty slices smoked bacon, finely diced
2 tsps salt
1/4 cup finely chopped garlic (about 8 large cloves)
1 1/2 cups red wine with low tannins
1/2 pound pork sausage, crumbled and cooked
1/2 pound ground lamb, crumbled and cooked
3 14 1/2 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
Gorgonzola Sauce
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 stalks celery, finely minced
2 cups finely diced onion, preferably sweet
Salt
1 1/2 Tbsp chopped garlic (about 3 large cloves)
2 cups good quality dry white wine (Argyle American White)
3 cups whole milk
4-5 ounces of goat cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup white cheddar cheese, shredded and at room temperature
1/3 pound gorgonzola. crumbled, at room temperature
1 1/2 pounds of dry pasta (ziti, penne or small rigatoni)
Up to 3 Tbsp combination of chopped fresh thyme and rosemary for garnish
To make Ragu:
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep skillet or casserole that can be covered later. Add the shanks and brown on all sides. Add the onion, bacon and salt. Turn the heat down to medium, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft. Do not let the onions or bacon burn. Add the garlic, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is soft. Do not let garlic burn. Add the wine to dissolve the caramelized juices stuck to the bottom of the pan and bring to a simmer. Add the cooked pork sausage, cooked ground lamb and tomatoes, and turn the heat down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 2 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. (The recipe can be prepared up to this point one to three days in advance, cooled, placed in a covered container and refrigerated. When ready to use, skim and remove chilled fat from the top of the sauce.)
Remove lamb shank from sauce and pull meat from the bone. The meat then can be shredded and added back into the sauce or eaten as a side dish with the pasta. If served separately, reheat and season with salt when ready to eat.
To make Gorgonzola Sauce:
Heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat in a medium-heavy saucepan. Add the celery and onion and sprinkle with salt; saute until the onion begins to soften. Add the garlic and continue to saute. After the onions become transparent and the liquid has nearly evaporated, add the white wine and continue to stir until any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan are released. Simmer for 10 minutes, then set aside to slightly cool. Transfer the onion mixture to a processor or blender and process until finely chopped.
Meanwhile, in the saucepan used to saute the onions, add the milk and slowly heat over medium-low until the milk is hot but not boiling. Carefully stir in the chopped onion mixture. Add the goat, cheddar and Gorgonzola cheeses and whisk continuously, over very low heat, until the cheeses melt. Season to taste with salt.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta for 6 minutes or until there is a raw line in the wall of the pasta when you cut into it. Drain the pasta and transfer to a bowl. Toss with the Gorgonzola sauce and transfer to a 13-by-9-inch nonreactive baking dish. (If too full, use an additional 8-by-8-inch baking dish.) Pat the pasta to compress, and fully cover it with sauce. Spread the top of the pasta with a thick layer of the ragu. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh herbs, slice into desired pieces and serve. (Alternatively, bake the pasta in the Gorgonzola sauce, serve on individual plates and spoon the ragu over the pasta.)