Courgetti And Ragu Recipes

COURGETTI AND RAGU

Steps:

• Heat the ghee or butter in a large saucepan and gently fry the onion over a low heat until softened but not browned (about 10 minutes). Add the garlic, bay leaves, mixed spice, oregano and fry for a further two minutes.
• Increase the heat and add the beef to the pan, using a wooden spatula to break it up as you cook.
• After five minutes, add the chicken livers, pour in the red wine and stir to deglaze the pan, then add the tomatoes, tomato purée and bone broth or water.
• Bring to the boil, cover with a lid, leaving the lid just slightly off, then reduce to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2½ hours, or until rich and thickened. It is even better after 3-4 hours. Keep an eye on it and add more liquid if needed.
• Add the grated carrots 15 minutes before the end of cooking. Turn up the heat to a medium simmer and season with sea salt, a good grind of pepper and the fresh parsley.
• Meanwhile, use a spiralizer or julienne peeler to make the spaghetti from the courgettes. This is the courgetti. Or you can use a regular vegetable peeler to slice the courgettes lengthways into very wide ribbons, which you can then slice in half. You might want to cut the long strands in half to make them easier to eat.
• Soften the courgetti in a pan with a little butter, stirring over a low heat for three minutes. Alternatively, save washing up another pan by just running some of the hot sauce through your spirals - the heat and salt in the sauce will soften them.
• Serve the courgette and beef ragù in bowls. Drizzle each bowl with extra virgin olive oil and serve with grated parmesan.

VEGETABLE RAGU ZUCCHINI LASAGNA

Steps:

• In 10-inch skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook garlic and onion in oil about 5 minutes or until soft. Add bell pepper; cook 5 minutes. Add spinach; cook until spinach is wilted. Stir in pasta sauce, salt and pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until thickened.
• Meanwhile, cut zucchini into 1/8-inch slices using knife or mandolin. Sprinkle zucchini with salt; set aside 10 minutes. Zucchini has a lot of water when cooked; salting it takes out a lot of moisture. Blot off excess moisture with paper towel.
• Heat gas or charcoal grill. Place zucchini on grill over high heat. Cover grill; cook until lightly charred on both sides. Again, use a paper towel to blot excess moisture.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
• In medium bowl, mix ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and egg.
• Spread some of the red sauce in bottom of baking dish; layer with enough zucchini to cover. Next, spread with half of the ricotta cheese mixture; top with half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers until ingredients are used up, making sure to top off with sauce and mozzarella. Cover with foil.
• Bake about 45 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted. Let stand about 10 minutes before serving. Top with fresh basil.