Lamb and Mushroom Ragu

Braised slowly with love, chock full of melt-in-your-mouth tender chunks of lamb meat and large pieces of mushroom, brought together by a rich and crazy tasty dark beer sauce, this Lamb and Mushroom Ragu truly is as hearty and comforting as can be!

This ragu is the kind of dish that I could very well eat day in, day out, for the rest of my life. Well, so long as it’s not 2 million degrees out, that is. And even then… I’m not sure I that I would ever dare pass on it, even if it were that hot!

This Lamb and Mushroom Ragu means serious business. It’s so crazy tasty, so delicious and most of all, so comforting! I guess the fact that the dish would be made with lamb, my ultimate favorite meat in the whole wide world, plays a big role in my liking it that much! That, and well, the fact that it contains such a generous amount of mushrooms, too!

Hard to believe that something so good and seemingly so indulgent, could in fact be good for me.  Well, I’m not going to complain. And if like me you happen to be a huge fan of lamb and mushrooms, then I’m sure that neither will you…

Preheat your oven to 350°F; cut your lamb roast into 8 to 10 big pieces and season liberally with salt and pepper;

Heat a few tablespoons of your favorite cooking oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. When the pan is nice and hot, add about half the pieces of meat and let them cook undisturbed until a nice golden crust forms, about 4-5 minutes. Flip the pieces of meat and cook until golden on that side, too.

Transfer the seared pieces of meat to a 7 quart Dutch oven and repeat with the remaining pieces of meat.

Once all the meat has been browned, return the skillet to the heat source and lower the heat to medium; add the sliced onions, garlic and mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes, until slightly browned and softened. Add the rosemary, salt, cinnamon, coriander and white pepper and then pour in the bone broth.

I usually like to use my own slow cooker beef bone broth but I didn’t have any on hand that day, so I used my second best option, my life saver, Kettle & Fire’s grass-fed beef bone broth. 

Stir all that really well, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan thoroughly so you get all the tasty bits to detach from it and then pour the whole thing right over the reserved meat.

Add the water and dark beer (I used a Imperial Dark Saison from my favorite local brewery, but any dark beer or stout will do the trick) – or use strong coffee instead, if you’d rather keep this dish completely alcohol free.

If you choose to use beer (which I swear you totally should!), you’ll need a full 341ml bottle; You’ll be using about 2/3 of it now, but save the rest for later… don’t go drinking it now, cuz you will definitely be needing it!

Put the lid on and place in the oven for about 2½ hours, or until the meat is tender and falls apart easily when pulled with a fork.

Stir in the egg noodles (I used no yolks egg noodles just because I love their shape and texture, but feel free to use your favorite kind of pasta, or even potatoes, why not?) and return the dish to the oven for another 20 minutes, or until the pasta is just slightly undercooked.

Combine the sour cream, the rest of the dark beer (or use more strong coffee) and corn starch in a small container, whisk until evenly combined and add to the ragu. Stir well and return to the oven for a final 5 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked to your liking and the sauce has thickened nicely.

Garnish the finished dish with a sprinkle of chopped rosemary and fresh parsley and serve without delay.

If you have a little bit of sour cream left, hit your Lamb and Mushroom Ragu with a little dollop of it once it’s been plated, and then garnish it with a sprig of fresh rosemary, to make it look extra pretty.