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Beef ragout on polenta cakes

13
Points®
Total Time
1 hr
Prep
15 min
Cook
45 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Moderate
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 round

16 oz, beef top round steak, trimmed of all visible fat and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Red wine

8 fl oz, dry

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.

Notes

A Chianti would be in keeping with the dish’s roots, but any dry red wine will do. Many supermarkets stock precooked polenta logs; look in the pasta aisle or near produce, in the refrigerator section. These logs are virtually fat-free and very convenient.

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