Ragu Napoletano is classically a dish made with pork ribs, beef chuck and Italian sausage that Packers Kitchen and Bar makes a version of using the ground scraps from trimming and portions of our steaks, some spicy capicola and braised short ribs. We are in a shoulder season for cooking, where we all are ready for spring’s freshness but are still hesitant to let go of winter’s cozy comforts. This dish acts as a beautiful farewell to winter.
This style of recipe is more like a formula, as all the proteins are interchangeable with whatever you have on hand. The large batch size freezes easily to provide extra meals on those days you just don’t feel like cooking.
Ragu Napoletano
• 1 pound boneless short rib, large chunks
• 6 ounces capicola or pancetta, diced
• 2 pounds ground beef, 80/20
• 3 carrots, finely chopped
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 10 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 Calabrian chilis, sliced
• 1 bunch thyme, tied
• 2 bay leaves
• 56 ounces whole peeled tomato (2 large cans)
• ½cup olive oil
• Chili flake, salt and black pepper to taste
Place a heavy bottom stainless steel pot over medium heat, add half of the olive oil followed by the carrot and to sauté. When the carrots start to soften add the onion, garlic and Calabrian chili, continue to cook until onions are translucent. (Seasoning the vegetables with a pinch of salt will decrease the cooking time and add a baseline of seasoning to your sauce).
Remove the cooked vegetables from the pan and reserve. Return the pan to the stove and increase your heat to high. Add the remaining olive oil, followed by the short rib. Brown the short ribs on all sides. Add all the remaining meat and continue to cook on high, stirring constantly until the ground beef is fully cooked. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any fond that developed while browning the proteins.
Combine the vegetables with the now-browned meat and cook on medium until the alcohol smell of the wine is gone. Add all remaining ingredients and simmer on low, stirring occasionally until the short ribs are tender (approximately 2.5 hours). Season to taste with red chili flakes, salt and black pepper.
Ragu Napoletano al Forno
• 1 pound rigatoni or ziti, cooked one minute less than al dente
• 1/2 batch ragu napoletano
• 6 ounces mozzarella, diced
• 8 ounces parmesan, grated
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup parsley, minced
Heat oven to 400 degrees F. In an oven-safe dish, combine the cooked pasta, ragu and mozzarella and mix until well combined. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the breadcrumbs, minced parsley and grated parmesan together in a mixing bowl. After the 30 minutes are up, remove the foil, top with the breadcrumb mixture, and return the dish to the oven for an additional 15 minutes.
Once fully cooked, remove the baked pasta from the oven and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Semiahmoo Resort offers dining options at Packers Kitchen + Bar, Great Blue Heron Grill and Seaview Café.
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