Polenta on the table with beef ragu recipe

Twenty years ago or so, the late chef Antonio Carluccio invited me for dinner at his house. After a few whiskies (his favourite drink), he appeared from the kitchen with a saucepan of polenta and promptly poured it all over his wooden farmhouse table. He then made a well in the centre and poured into it a pot of rich beef ragu. It was a magnificent and indulgent thing, totally new to me, but I’ve made it several times since in Antonio’s memory. 

You can use any cut of beef for this that’s good for slow cooking, from flank to shin or cheek. I prefer small, hand-cut pieces myself for a ragu, as opposed to mince.

Timings

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Serves

4

Ingredients

For the ragu

• 1 tbsp corn or vegetable oil 
• 400-500g beef cut into a rough ½-1cm dice
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped 
• 6 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 tbsp chopped oregano or thyme leaves
• 1 tbsp plain flour 
• 100ml red wine 
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 500ml beef stock 
• freshly grated Parmesan, to serve

For the polenta

• 700ml whole milk
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 bay leaf
• 70-80g quick-cooking polenta
• 90g Parmesan, freshly grated

Method

1. Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan and fry the pieces of beef on a high heat for a few minutes, until lightly coloured. 
2. Add the onion, garlic and oregano or thyme, and continue to cook for 5 minutes. 
3. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, then slowly stir in the wine, tinned tomatoes and stock. 
4. Bring to the boil, season and simmer gently with a lid on for an hour, stirring occasionally. 
5. Remove the lid to check the meat is tender; if not, continue simmering until it is and the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season again if necessary. 
6. When the beef has about 30 minutes left to cook, make the polenta. 
7. Bring the milk to the boil in a heavy-based pan then add the garlic, bay leaf and some seasoning. 
8. Simmer very gently for about 15 minutes then remove the bay leaf and whisk in the polenta.
9. Turn the heat down as low as it will go and cook very gently for 10 minutes, whisking every so often so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
10. Add the Parmesan and cook for a further 5 minutes. It should have the consistency of creamy mashed potato.
11. Serve à la Antonio Carluccio and pour the polenta directly on to a clean table, with the ragu in the middle, or use a clean, large wooden chopping board. 
12. Scatter with freshly grated Parmesan.