Recipe - Beef 'n' Bowties (Beef Ragu and Farfalle Pasta)

Beef 'n' Bowties (Beef Ragu and Farfalle Pasta)

This one's for those who are tired of a "ragu" being a ground-beef based sauce put onto spaghetti that can't "hold on" to it properly. It's another slow cooker sauce, in that the beef is a thin-sliced London Broil, which is a bit on the lean side and needs a longer slower cook in order to make it really tender and bring out the flavor. I used a jar of prepared spaghetti sauce, mainly because it's convenient and cheap. This is just a way to "doctor it up" as my Mom would say, and while it's a short-cut, it's a good one.

You'll also note that I season the pasta water a LOT more than just your boring old salt. There's truth in the statement that you need to season your pasta, but if you want to increase the beefiness, well, salt alone just ain't gonna cut it.

I like to make mine chunky, especially with the onion, but adjust that as you see fit. That's the nice thing about a recipe - it is a STARTING point, where you can throw in your own ideas, change the seasonings a bit, and make it your own!

Ingredients:

1 to 1.25 lbs London Broil
1 Large Onion (sweet yellow, or Vidalia)
1 Jar Ragu or Prego Spaghetti Sauce "Flavored With Meat"
1 14 oz. can Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 6 oz. can Tomato Paste 
3-4 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. Sweet Basil
1/2 tsp. Crushed Rosemary

1 1 lb. box/bag Farfalle (Bowtie) Pasta
3 qt. Water (or 2 qt. water, 1 qt. boxed beef stock)
2 Tbsp. Granulated Beef Broth/Base/Bouillon
2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning
1 Tbsp. Dried Parsley

Instructions:

Slice London Broil thinly, against the grain. Leave the slices long (don't "chop it up", it'll break apart in the sauce). Peel and halve the onion, then slice lengthwise and cut into four chunks for each half. Place into a covered plastic bowl and shake, to break up the onion.

Spray a large frying pan with Pam, put on medium heat, add some Canola Oil and increase heat until it shimmers (about 350F). Place half the meat in and allow to sear/color for at least 3 minutes before turning, cook another 3 minutes. Place in bowl and repeat with the remaining meat. Once done, add onions to the pan and cook until semi-translucent and well coated with the beef juices. Remove. If there's still a lot of fond in the pan, increase heat to high and add a splash or two of water and scrape the goodies out of there, adding them to the meat.

Spray a 4 qt. crock pot with Pam, set to high. Put onions on the bottom, then the meat, then the minced garlic. Drain the diced tomatoes (so the sauce doesn't end up too runny). Add the jar of spaghetti sauce, then the tomatoes, then the paste. Stir the sauces together (but leave the onions and meat on the bottom). You are doing this to basically "break up" the paste and combine it with the sauce and diced tomatoes. Cook on high for 2 hours, then turn to low for another 4. Stir to combine after it is bubbling well, about 3 hours, then stir once more an hour before completion. 

For best results, cool, then leave in the fridge overnight. Trust me, this makes a BIG difference in the flavor.

Add 3 quarts of water to a pasta pot. You can replace one quart with a regular box of beef stock if you like, but if you do, skip adding the granulated beef broth/base/bouillon. Don't add salt, since the boxed stock or the granulated stuff will have plenty already inside. Add the other seasonings. Bring to a boil. Add the bowtie pasta and cook according to package direction, or maybe slightly less. You want this a tad underdone. Drain thoroughly. Return to pot. Stir in a few ladles of the (re)heated sauce, stir well until completely coated, then cover and let the pasta absorb the sauce for about 20 minutes. Uncover, mix well, then add the rest of the (re)heated sauce and mix well again. Plate and serve.

Serve with crusty bread or garlic bread and a green salad. For the wine, check with Hebrew Prophet - he'll know...

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