Hidden veg Lamb Ragu with Butternut Gnocchi

By Claudine Noppe

When I was young I was a very picky eater. I mean, I still am, but it was really bad when I was young. I used to sit for an hour before eating a meal, just picking out the veg and putting it on one side of my plate. Only after I was sure there were no veggies left would I dive into my meal. This drove my mom crazy, so she always tried to come up with sneaky ways to hide vegetables in my meals. If I couldn’t see them, they didn’t bother me.

I remember eating orange mash and my mom saying it’s some rare type of potato when in actual fact it was some carrots mixed into mash. Mushrooms also mimic beef mince very well, so I wonder how many mushroom bolognaises I’ve eaten without knowing. This lamb ragu is made with finicky people in mind. There is a surprising amount of veg in this dish, but it’s not visible. And I dare any picky eaters to find the veg in this and pick it out. It is near impossible! If you want to make sure your kiddos or your very picky partner get their daily veg in, try this.

Click here for the downloadable recipe.

Ingredients:

Serves 4 ‘

For the Ragu:

·         500g of cubed stewing lamb (I got lamb leg cubes)

·         3 leeks, finely sliced

·         2 celery stalks, chopped

·         1 green pepper, chopped

·         125g mushrooms, chopped

·         2 carrots finely grated

·         4 baby marrows, finely grated

·         1 tablespoon tomato paste

·         125 ml red wine

·         1 beef stock sachet/ half a cube or 7,5 ml powder

·         1 dried bay leaf

·         2-3 stalks of rosemary

·         Salt and pepper

For the Butternut Gnocchi

·         2 cups butternut puree (I steamed my butternut for 12 minutes and then used a food processor to puree it)

·         1 cup of flour + more for dusting

Method:

For the Ragu:

1. In an ovenproof pot, brown the meat on both sides. Remember to season at this stage already.

2. Remove the browned meat from the pot and add the leeks, celery, green pepper and mushrooms. Saute on a low heat until the leeks are soft.  Add the tomato paste and saute for 1 minute.

3. Deglaze the pot with the red wine.

4. Add the meat back into the pot with the carrots, baby marrow and herbs. Mix the beef stock with 1 to 2 cups of water and add that to the pot as well.

5. Place the pot, with the lid on, in the oven and slow cook for 3 to 4 hours on 160 °C.

6. The ragu is done when the meat is easy to tear apart with a fork. Mix the ragu vigorously to loosen the meat and to create the trademark ragu pulled meat texture.

For the Butternut gnocchi:

1. In a mixing bowl, create a well in the middle of the flour and add the puree.

2. Using a fork, mix the flour and puree into a stiff dough. Once the dough comes together knead it on a floured surface for a couple of minutes.

3. Leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes.

4. In the meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to the boil.

5. Divide the dough into two pieces and roll each piece into a long sausage. Then, using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 2-4 cm pillows.

6. Add the gnocchies (I’m sure that’s a word), to the boiling water. The gnocchi is cooked when it starts floating.

7. Drain the gnocchi into a colander.

8. Serve hot with a serving of the lamb ragu on top. An optional extra is always some parmesan cheese on top.