Slow cooked beef cheek ragu

This slow cooked beef cheek ragu is the ultimate in flavour and comfort. The meat is meltingly tender and the sauce is rich and luscious. It pairs perfectly with a silky handkerchief pasta but any shape will work. To add some zing and freshness I have paired the rich beef cheek ragu with a parsley and lemon gremolata. It cuts through the richess of the meat perfectly and provides some freshness to the dish. A fabulous meal to make for friends!

Rich and luscious beef cheek ragu

This is a recipe I wrote for the lovely qb Cucina so head over there to see how it is done! It is so simple to prepare then it just sits in the oven for 4 hours and does all the work for you.

Slow cooked beef cheek ragu - check out the recipe!

What pasta shape works best for a ragu?

I have paired the ragu with a silky handkerchief pasta. Effectively a big pasta blanket to incase the filling. It is so simple and easy to prepare but looks so impressive! Use my easy homemade pasta dough recipe to create these big sheets.

Alternatively this would work beautifully with an orecchiette or gnocchi sardi.

What is a gremolata and why should I use it?

A gremolata is a dressing most often made with parsley, lemon zest and olive oil. It provides some much needed freshness so is perfect to add to any meaty pasta dish. I like to spoon it on top of any ragu I make. Lemon really is pasta's best friend and even a scattering of lemon zest on top of a meat sauce does wonders.