Lamb Ragu by Louis Korovilas

Louis Korovilas

Louis Korovilas

10th May 2018
Louis Korovilas

Lamb Ragu by Louis Korovilas

Lamb Ragu by Louis Korovila

Comforting and tasty, this flavoursome recipe is an ideal way to utilise a seasonal piece of lamb.

Ingredients

  • For the pasta:
  • 500g 00 flour
  • 3 large eggs and 2 extra yolks all at room temperature
  • Pinch of salt
  • For the lamb ragu:
  • 1 lamb neck on the bone roughly about 1 kilo
  • 2 large bunches rosemary
  • 2 cloves of garlic (peeled)
  • 4 anchovy fillets
  • 300 ml of condimento morbido (or white balsamic vinegar)
  • 3 tbsp of good olive oil
  • 3tbsp veg oil (for frying)
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 2 tbsp of all purpose flour
  • A splash of white wine
  • 500 ml of good quality chicken stock

Method

To make the pasta dough
Place the flour in a mound on a clean surface and create a well in the centre and sprinkle the salt inside.
One by one add the eggs followed by the yolks to the well using your finger in a swirling motion to incorporate the eggs to the flour and salt mix. You should find yourself with a crumb like mix, now bring this mix together using the palm of your hand until you have a firm smooth dough, this should take about 10 minutes.
Wrap your dough in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for about one hour or as long as need be, remove from the fridge one hour before use.
To make the ragu
Pick the individual leaves from the rosemary (avoid any stalks or woody bits) place the garlic, anchovies, rosemary and condimento morbido in a food processor and blitz until you have a green sauce (should look like a very loose pesto) and set to one side.
Generously season your lamb neck with salt and pepper, sprinkle with all-purpose flour patting off the excess with your hands.
Bring the veg oil up to a high heat in a large casserole pan , you should hear a sizzle as you place the lamb neck in the pan turn the meat until it has a golden brown colour all round.
Add the white wine to deglaze and reduce until the liquid evaporates. Now add your green sauce just to cover the meat, topping up with a little chicken stock if necessary bring to the boil then turn down to the lowest heat immediately leaving to gently simmer for around 5 hours. Now return to the pasta.
Once the pasta is back at room temperature, use a rolling pin to roll out the pasta until about 1 cm thick and can comfortably pass through the machine. Continue passing the dough through the machine reducing the thickness setting until you have a sheet of pasta about as thick as a 5 pence piece.
Lightly dust a clean surface with flour and lay your pasta sheet out. Using a sharp knife cut your pasta in to ribbons 3 cm wide and 15 to 20 cm long. Dust lightly with flour and set aside to use.
The lamb should be falling off the bone, leave to cool in the cooking liquid to avoid drying out. Pull the meat off the bone using your hands and discard the bone ( check for small fragments) flake the meat and return it to the cooking liquid and warm through on a low to medium heat.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil adding your pappardelle one by one stirring as you go to avoid sticking together and after about 2 and a half minutes your pasta should be ready (remove one to test) remove your pasta using tongs and add to the ragu add olive oil and a little cooking water from the pasta or chicken stock to achieve the right consistency and serve.

Small Contribution. Big Impact.

The Staff Canteen has always been more than a website—it’s a community, built by and for hospitality. We share the wins, the challenges, the graft, and the inspiration that keeps kitchens alive.

We believe in staying open to everyone, but creating this content takes real resources. If you’ve ever found value here—whether it’s a recipe, an interview, or a laugh when you needed it most—consider giving just £3 to keep it going.

 

A little from you keeps this space free for all. Let’s keep lifting the industry, together.