A must try recipe from the April 2017 Olive magazine - mac 'n' cheese with rich beef ragu…it really is delicious…rich beef ragu on the bottom and topped with a lovely mac ‘n’ cheese!
The oozing cheese sauce along with the lovely tender slow-cooked meat makes this a real comfort food winner and it's just what's needed on a cold day when you have a lot of hungry mouths to feed - be warned though...a sleep after eating this is mandatory!!
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Ingredients
For the ragu:
- 1kg beef shin, cut into chunks
- 2 tbsp plain flour, seasoned really well
- olive oil
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 3 carrots, grated
- 1 star anise
- 200ml beef stock
- 3 tbsp tomato purée
- 200ml red wine
- 200ml passata
- a bunch of basil, chopped
For the mac 'n' cheese:
- 35g butter
- 35g plain flour
- 700ml semi-skimmed milk
- 1 tsp English mustard powder
- 200g mature cheddar, grated
- 100g gruyère, grated
- 100g emmental, grated
- 250g macaroni
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Instructions
- Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Start with the ragu - toss the beef in the flour and shake off the excess. Heat a little oil in a heavy casserole then brown the beef chunks in small batches until they have a good colour on all sides, then scoop them out and do the next batch.
- Once all the beef has browned, tip it back into the casserole and add the onion, carrot, and star anise. Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes, then stir in the tomato purée. Add the stock, wine, and passata and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan with foil and put on a lid to create a seal. Transfer to the oven and cook for 3 hours, then check the beef is done – you want it to fall apart easily. If it doesn’t, put it back in the oven for another 30 minutes to an hour. Stir in the basil.
- Meanwhile, make the mac ‘n’ cheese - melt the butter in a pan, then stir in the flour. Keep cooking and stirring for 3 minutes then gradually whisk in the milk to give a smooth sauce.
- Add the mustard powder, cheddar, gruyère, emmental, and stir until melted. Season.
- Turn up the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Cook the macaroni until just al dente (approx 7-8 minutes) then rinse under cold water and drain well. Mix with the cheese sauce.
- Spoon the ragu into a large baking dish. Top with the mac ‘n’ cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden and bubbling. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
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Mac ‘n’ Cheese with Rich Beef Ragu
Ingredients
For the ragu:
- 1kg beef shin cut into chunks
- 2 tbsp plain flour seasoned really well
- olive oil
- 2 onions finely chopped
- 3 carrots grated
- 1 star anise
- 200ml beef stock
- 3 tbsp tomato purée
- 200ml red wine
- 200ml passata
- a bunch of basil chopped
For the mac 'n' cheese:
- 35g butter
- 35g plain flour
- 700ml semi-skimmed milk
- 1 tsp English mustard powder
- 200g mature cheddar grated
- 100g gruyère grated
- 100g emmental grated
- 250g macaroni
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Start with the ragu - toss the beef in the flour and shake off the excess. Heat a little oil in a heavy casserole then brown the beef chunks in small batches until they have a good colour on all sides, then scoop them out and do the next batch.
- Once all the beef has browned, tip it back into the casserole and add the onion, carrot and star anise. Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes, then stir in the tomato purée. Add the stock, wine and passata and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan with foil and put on a lid to create a seal. Transfer to the oven and cook for 3 hours, then check the beef is done – you want it to fall apart easily. If it doesn’t, put it back in the oven for another 30 minutes to an hour. Stir in the basil.
- Meanwhile, make the mac ‘n’ cheese - melt the butter in a pan then stir in the flour. Keep cooking and stirring for 3 minutes then gradually whisk in the milk to give a smooth sauce.
- Add the mustard powder, cheddar, gruyère, emmental and stir until melted. Season.
- Turn up the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Cook the macaroni until just al dente (approx 7-8 minutes) then rinse under cold water and drain well. Mix with the cheese sauce.
- Spoon the ragu into a large baking dish. Top with the mac ‘n’ cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden and bubbling. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
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