Fresh Pasta with Lamb Ragù

 

• Ingredients
• 4 cups homemade or lower-salt chicken broth
• 12 whole black peppercorns
• 3 whole star anise
• 2 oz. (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter
• 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil; more for drizzling
• 3 medium carrots, cut into small dice (about 3/4 cup)
• 3 medium celery ribs, cut into small dice (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 small onion, cut into small dice (about 3/4 cup)
• Kosher salt
• 2 lb. ground lamb
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 3 sprigs each (about 6 inches long) fresh parsley, rosemary, and thyme, tied together with kitchen string
• 1-1/2 lb. dried or 1-3/4 lb. fresh short, ruffled pasta, such as reginetti or campanelle
• Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
• Grated pecorino romano, for serving
• Microgreens, for garnish (optional)

In a 2-quart saucepan, bring the broth, peppercorns, and star anise to a boil. Remove from the heat and let steep at least 30 minutes.

In a 6- to 7-quart heavy-duty pot, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat.

Add the carrots, celery, onion, and 1/4 tsp. salt. 

Cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as needed, until tender, about 10 minutes.

Push the vegetables to one side, increase the heat to medium high, and add the lamb. 

Season the lamb with 1/2 tsp. salt and let briefly sit undisturbed until somewhat browned.

Cook, stirring occasionally, to combine with the vegetables, until the lamb no longer looks raw, about 10 minutes.

Add the wine and tomato paste and stir gently to combine. 

Simmer until the wine is absorbed, about 3 minutes (the meat will still look wet). 

Through a fine-mesh sieve, strain 3 cups of the broth into the pot. Add the herb bundle. (Reserve the remaining 1 cup broth.)

Cook, uncovered, over very low heat, stirring only occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the flavors are fully developed, at least 2 hours. If the liquid evaporates too quickly, add a little of the reserved broth. 

Remove the herb bundle; any rosemary leaves in the ragù will have softened and are good to eat. 

At this point, the sauce can be cooled and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. 

Refrigerate or freeze the remaining broth for reheating and serving.

When ready to serve, reheat the ragù, if necessary; it should be thick and fluid, but not dry.

Add more of the reserved broth, if necessary. 

Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the pasta to al dente according to package directions. 

Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain. Return the pasta to the pot or transfer to a warm bowl. 

Gently toss the Fresh pasta with about 1 cup of the ragù, adding 1/3 cup of the reserved cooking water to moisten the pasta. Add more ragù and pasta water to coat the pasta well.

Divide the pasta among warm bowls and ladle a small amount of the remaining ragù on top of each. Top with a little olive oil, a sprinkle of cheese, a tiny pinch of the flaky salt, and the greens, if using.