A criminally under loved cut of meat, shin of beef demands to be cooked slowly for a long time, given its natural toughness. When cooked properly, nonetheless, the shin is amongst the cow’s most flavoursome offerings (along with most of the cuts that have fallen out of favour), perfect as the base of a rich ragù sauce. As a result, a delicious, crowd-pleasing, relatively economical meal can be made with some due care and patience.
This beef shin ragù recipe from Marcella in Deptford – sister restaurant to critically acclaimed Artusi in Peckham – is simple to recreate at home. Like Artusi, Marcella’s food philosophy is to showcase the flavours of the Mediterranean and celebrate quality ingredients by cooking them simply. Here, the beef shin ragù is served with paccheri or pappardelle pasta, though polenta is another worthy accompaniment.
Ingredients
- 500 g Boneless beef shin
- 1 glass Red wine
- 1 tin Good quality peeled tomatoes
- Basil leaves
- Maldon sea salt
- Olive oil
- Pasta (paccheri or pappardelle are recommended)
- Parmesan grated
Instructions
- Cut the shin into approx. 1.5 inch cubes.
- In a heavy bottomed pan, heat olive oil until just about smoking, and colour the meat, in batches if necessary.
- Turn the heat down and pour in the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
- Once the wine has reduced, add the tomatoes and basil leaves, and a good pinch of Maldon sea salt. Bring to the boil, and then cover and cook as slowly as possible on the hob, or in a low oven (110C).
- Cook until the meat is tender.
- Serve with your favourite pasta, and lots of grated parmesan.
