Beef ragout on polenta cakes
11
Points®
Total time: 1 hr • Prep: 15 min • Cook: 45 min • Serves: 6 • Difficulty: Easy
So what's the difference between ragout and ragu, you ask? Well the former is a French-style main-dish stew while the latter is a meat-based Italian red sauce traditionally served over pasta. This Mediterranean ragout features meaty beef cubes braised in red wine with dried Mission figs that add a note of sweetness to the tomato sauce while lending a toothsome texture to the dish. Instead of serving over rice or pasta, this braised beef stew is spooned over rustic polenta cakes, which many consider the grits of Italy.
Ingredients
Olive oil
½ Tbsp
Onion
1 small, yellow, chopped
Celery
1 rib(s), medium, chopped
Carrots
1 medium, chopped
Garlic
2 clove(s), chopped
Uncooked lean beef bottom round roast
16 oz, beef top round steak, trimmed of all visible fat and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Red wine
8 fl oz, dry
Fresh basil
1½ Tbsp, chopped fresh (or 1/2 tablespoon dried)
Fresh thyme
1 Tbsp, chopped, fresh (or 1 teaspoon dried)
Canned diced tomatoes
14½ oz
Tomato paste
1 Tbsp
Sweetened dried figs
2 oz, about 9 figs
Table salt
½ tsp
Black pepper
¼ tsp, coarsely ground
Uncooked polenta
1 pound(s), 1 log, plain, cut into 12 (1/2-inch) slices
Instructions
1
Heat oil in a nonstick Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion softens. Add the beef and cook until browned. Stir in the wine and cook over high heat, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the liquid is reduced by one-half, 3–4 minutes. Add the basil, thyme, and tomatoes and bring back to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until the meat is very tender, about 35 minutes.
2
Stir in the tomato paste, figs, salt, and pepper. Cook, uncovered, until mixture thickens, about 10 minutes longer.
3
Meanwhile, spray a broiler rack with nonstick spray; preheat the broiler. Broil the polenta slices 5 inches from the heat until lightly browned, about 2 minutes on each side. Serve the ragout ladled over the polenta.
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