Wine That Goes With Beef Ragu
Pairings: Beef cheek ragu pappardelle to match Italian Amarone wine
I'm no Anthony Bourdain, but I do enjoy trying different foods. From haggis in a Scottish pub to Rocky Mountain oysters at an Oklahoma fry to crispy bugs in Thailand, I haven't yet encountered a dish I won't try at least once.
Perhaps it's because I grew up eating things most people don't encounter at the corner market. Delicate bird's nest soup (made from the saliva of cliff swallows), sea cucumbers, cold crunchy jellyfish, slivers of spicy pig ears, duck tongues and gelatinous pig's feet were so artfully cooked they became a special delight.
Perhaps that is why unusual ingredients intrigue me. It's the challenge and accomplishment of turning something you haven't cooked before into an aha moment during your first bite.
That's sort of how it is cooking beef cheeks. It looks like an ordinary piece of meat until you put it on the cutting board. Then you discover an unappetizing, irregularly shaped, multi-lobed blob riddled with silver skin (white fattish-looking stuff), and occasionally glands, veins and pigmented membrane (on untrimmed pieces). Once trimmed (retain the silver skin and connective tissue, which turn into gelatin), beef cheeks are similar to other well-used muscles like oxtail, chuck steak and shank - only better.
Once hard to find, beef cheeks are where oxtails were 15 years ago. Now even my local Lucky, Safeway and even Costco regularly stock oxtail. (Mexican markets - especially carnicerias - often sell beef cheeks.) Besides the hearty flavor and the warm enveloping comfort of braised beef, it's the rich mouthfeel and almost melt-in-your-mouth texture you get from both oxtail and beef cheek that has me pulling out my Le Creuset Dutch oven as the weather turns colder.
With this week's cold snap, there's no doubt it's braising weather. My recipe for Beef Cheek Ragu with Pappardelle is a make-ahead dish that's also perfect for freezing. A dish this rich and unctuous requires a wine with heft, acidity and moderate tannins. Amarone - a big-bodied, deeply flavored wine from Italy's Veneto region - is a perfect match.
The wine's acidity and tannins cut through the richness of the ragu, but more importantly, the depth and weight of the Beef Cheek Ragu and Amarone are similar. The braise includes red wine and tomatoes for acidity. Asian fish sauce and a hint of dried porcini mushroom provide depth and a layer of earthy complexity, which also boosts the dish's savory umami.
If food exploration is somewhere in your future, order an unusual dish the next time you eat out or cook something new. And by trying a different wine varietal outside your comfort zone, you'll have a fun, delicious journey.
Beef Cheek Ragu with Pappardelle
Serves 6-8
Beef cheeks are an underappreciated cut not generally available in supermarkets. Braising transforms the tough muscle into tender, succulent morsels. This recipe adds one more step, incorporating the meat into a rich sauce that is perfect atop pasta.
- 1 ounce pancetta or 2 slices smoked bacon
- 2 trimmed beef cheeks, about 2-2 1/2 pounds total (see note)
- -- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- -- Extra virgin olive oil as needed
- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
- 3/4 cup finely chopped carrot
- 3/4 cup finely chopped celery
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 2 cups low- or no-salt chicken or beef broth or stock + more as needed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig thyme
- 2 parsley stems
- 1/2 teaspoon grated tangerine zest 1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, covered in hot water to rehydrate
- 1 3-inch piece cinnamon stick
- 1 cup finely chopped San Marzano tomatoes and juice
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 pound pappardelle pasta, cooked according to package directions
- -- Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to garnish
- -- Chopped parsley (optional garnish)
Instructions: Preheat oven to 300ยบ. Cut pancetta crosswise into thin lardons. In a Dutch oven cook pancetta, rendering the fat, until brown and crispy; remove crisped bits and reserve for another use. Leave fat in pan.
Trim fat, veins and any remaining glands from the cheeks but retain the connective tissue. Season with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour; shake off any excess. Brown cheeks in the pan with the rendered fat over medium to medium-high; add olive oil as needed to help brown. Remove meat from the pan and set aside. Drain excess fat from pan, leaving behind the brown bits.
Return the pan to the medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery, and sweat until the vegetables are limp, about 4-5 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking, adding more olive oil as needed. The moisture released from the vegetables should help deglaze the pan. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic. Remove the vegetables; set aside.
Add the wine to the pan; simmer until reduced by about half. Return beef cheeks to the pan along with the broth, bay leaf, thyme, parsley and tangerine zest. Remove porcinis from their soaking liquid and chop finely. Strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter. Add the chopped porcinis and soaking liquid to the pan. The liquid in the pot should almost cover the beef. If not, add more stock. Spoon the vegetables on top of the meat. Bring the liquid to a simmer, cover and place in the oven. Braise for 2 1/2- 3 hours, turning the cheeks every hour or so, until the meat is fork-tender.
Move to a platter or cutting board; shred meat and reserve. Add cinnamon stick, tomatoes and fish sauce to the pan. Simmer uncovered on the stovetop until the sauce reaches desired consistency; skim and discard any fat. Remove and discard the thyme, bay leaf, parsley and cinnamon stick.
Return shredded beef to the pot; taste and adjust seasoning. Rewarm and serve over pasta. Garnish with cheese (with more passed the table) and chopped parsley if desired.
Note: Beef cheeks are available at Golden Gate Meats (San Francisco) and Mi Pueblo (Oakland). Ask the butcher whether the cheeks have already been trimmed; if not, allow for an extra 1/4 pound.
Per serving: 515 calories, 33 g protein, 47 g carbohydrate, 16 g fat (7 g saturated), 75 mg cholesterol, 258 mg sodium, 3 g fiber.
Source: https://www.sfgate.com/wine/article/Pairings-Beef-cheek-ragu-pappardelle-to-match-3234647.php
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