Parpadelle with Spanish Lamb Ragu

I love pasta. So much, in fact, that I'll happily spend an hour rolling out pasta, and hand-cutting the ribbons, just to eat it. My favourite is parpadelle. Its broad ribbons of pasta make it a hero of any pasta dish. They stand out, a confident pulse, its flavour beating through the dish. The spanish lamb ragu is full of delicious, tender chunks of lamb that have bits flaking off them in a sweet, rich sauce.

Ingredients (for about 4)

4 Servings of Parpadelle

800g Diced Lamb

400g Chopped Tomatoes

400g Cherry Tomatoes

1 Cup of Lamb Stock

3 Onions, Peeled and Diced

1/2 Bulb of Garlic, peeled and minced

1 Bunch of Fresh Coriander, stalks minced, leaves set aside for serving

4 Teaspoons Smoked Paprika

1 Teaspoon Dried Rosemary

150g Brown Button Mushrooms, roughly chopped

Sicilian Olives (as many as you can get)

3 Tablespoons Vinegar

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Parmesan

Method

Pour a large lug of olive oil into a stock pot. Add the onions, garlic, coriander stalks, paprika and rosemary. Cook until the onions soften and become translucent. Add the vinegar, cook the acidity out. Then, add your lamb. Brown the lamb, then add the chopped tomatoes, lamb stock then cover with water.

Cook uncovered on a medium-high heat for two hours or until the meat begins to fall apart. Throughout the process it'll dry up. Add water as needed to stop it sticking. Stir regularly. Ultimately you want to finish with a really thick sauce. Add the cherry tomatoes right at the end and stir in the coriander leaves. Salt and pepper to taste.

Near the end of the cooking, boil your parpadelle in super salty water until al dente. Drain, then toss the pasta in the ragu, making sure you get everything coated really nicely.

Serve with shavings of parmesan cheese and as many sicilian green olives as you can stomach. I love them.

Enjoy!