UPDATED: Spicy Beef Ragu

Great recipes lend themselves to dishes that end up almost exactly the same each time. That’s my goal with the #howtoadultcookbook - to provide recipes that can be relied upon time and time again to create delicious meals.

In order to make that a reality, I’ve revisited every recipe in the book and made it again, and in the process, have adjusted some recipes, whether its ingredient amounts, cooking time, or cooking method(s). My hope is that you can depend on these recipes, while also making them your own in your own kitchens, in true #ninaknowsfood form.

Here’s the updated spicy ragu recipe:

• 2 TBS olive oil (for cooking)

• 2 large cloves garlic, finely diced

• 1 large shallot, finely diced

• 1 lb ground beef (80/20 or 90/10)

• 1/2 TBS red chili flakes

• 2 tsp whole fennel seeds

• 2 tsp ground Italian seasoning

• 1 tsp ground smoked paprika

• 1/4 cup white wine of your choice

• 1 14oz can unseasoned diced tomatoes

• 1/4 cup water

• Salt & pepper to taste

• 1/2 cup frozen peas

In a large sauté pan over low-medium heat, heat olive oil until shimmering. Add garlic and shallot, and cook until softened, about 2-3 minutes.

Add ground beef and cook until just browned. As meat is browning, add in red chili flakes, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, and s&p. Stir to combine. If there's a lot of fat in the pan, remove with a spoon.

Once beef is browned, add in white wine and let liquid reduce by half. Once liquid reduces, add in diced tomatoes and water. Stir to combine completely.

Lower heat to low, cover, and allow ragu to simmer for 20 minutes.

When done simmering, turn off heat and take the pan off the hot burner. Add in frozen peas and stir to combine. The peas will thaw almost immediately.

Serve hot or let ragu cool completely before storing in the fridge or freezer.

Fresh, Homemade Pasta

In retrospect, I definitely should have included photos of the pasta-making process. Forgive me, but my hands were covered in flour and eggs. After one failed attempt at making the dough completely by hand, we switched over to the standing mixer to get the dough started, and we completed the last 10 minutes by kneading the dough until it bounced back after pressing it with one finger.

Please don't fret. I see much more pasta-making in my future, and I am sure that you all are very happy about that - especially those who are able to taste test.

After the dough rested for 30 minutes, we rolled and cut the dough into fettucine. The fettucine only took 2 minutes to cook (it is SO easy to over cook fresh pasta because we are so used to boxed, dried pasta that takes 7-10 minutes to cook) and we tossed the fettucine in the pan with the pork sausage, broccoli rabe, a LOT of garlic, and a little sprinkling of Pecorino cheese. 

Cacio de Pepe - boxed whole wheat ziti with fresh ground pepper and Cacio de Roma cheese - bellissima!

While the recipe I am going to give you was not made with fresh pasta, there is no reason that it can't be next time! This super simple recipe needs to be paired with a pasta with lots of room to soak up all the pepper-y and cheesy goodness.

Here's what you'll need to make Cacio e Pepe (serves 4-6):

• 1 box dried pasta / 1 lb fresh pasta of your choice - I recommend ziti, bucatini or even fettucine
• Olive oil - enough to coat the bottom of a medium sized skillet
• 2-3 teaspoons fresh ground pepper - depends on how much pepper you can handle
• 1 cup pasta water
• 3/4 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano
• 1/2 cup finely grated Cacio de Roma - this is mild sheep's milk cheese; softer than Pecorino and a little sweeter and little less pungent

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook dried pasta according to box instructions. If using fresh pasta, cook for 1-2 minutes and remove promptly. If you are using fresh pasta, reserve 1 cup pasta water. While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a medium-sized skillet until shimmering. Add the fresh ground pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Be careful, the oil may splatter a little!

Once the pepper is fragrant, ladle in the pasta water (from the pot cooking the pasta or from the water you reserved). Bring to a boil. Transfer pasta to the skillet, and toss until evenly coated with the pepper. Add in most of the Pecorino and all of the Cacio de Roma cheese. Combine until creamy - if the cheese is clumping, add in more pasta water, a little bit at a time. Sprinkle the rest of the Pecorino over the pasta and serve!

If you're interested in learning how to make fresh pasta - or anything else - check out the Institute for Culinary Education in NYC. From basic knife skills to the art of French cooking, you can learn anything and everything in their professional kitchen classroom! My mom and I took the Pasta 101 class, where we were inspired to get the right tools and try it at home. I hope you all are inspired to try something new!