Neopolitan Nachos Ragu Recipes

NEAPOLITAN RAGU

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Set a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add a 3-count of olive oil and gently brown the meatballs. Meanwhile, with a mortar and pestle, grind the salt, black peppercorns and fennel seeds with some olive oil into a grainy paste. Rub the ribs and shoulder with the mixture.
• Remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. In the same pot, brown the shoulder pieces and ribs, in batches. Alternately to save time, roast the ribs in a preheated 500 degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes while you brown the shoulder pieces in the pot.
• Remove the shoulder pieces and ribs to the meatball plate and let rest.
• Add a little more olive oil to the pot and add the thyme, oregano, carrots, onion and celery. Stir it around and scrape up the bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Cook the vegetables until they are slightly softened and have some nice color. Add the wine, tomatoes and tomato paste and mix well, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom. Nestle the pork shoulder pieces back into the middle of the pot then arrange the ribs around the sauce. Finish by placing the meatballs in the gaps (some of the pieces will be sticking out from the sauce but that's perfectly fine as it will roast and caramelize). Use a spoon to baste everything well, cover, then put the pot into the oven and roast until the pork is tender and the meat is just falling off the rib bones, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• For the topping: Combine the chopped raisins, toasted pine nuts and parsley in a small bowl.
• Use a slotted spoon to remove the meatballs and ribs to a large platter. Remove the pork shoulder pieces from the pot and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing into bite-size pieces and adding them to the platter. Puree the sauce in a food processor then add it back to the pot and set over medium heat. Reduce the sauce until it is rich and thick, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. When the spaghetti is cooked, drain and add to a medium bowl. Spoon a little sauce over the spaghetti and the remaining sauce over the platter of meat. Garnish the meat platter with the raisin mixture and serve.
• Heat 3 tablespoons oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and parsley and cook until the vegetables are soft but not colored, about 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let the mixture cool.
• Add the bread to a medium bowl and pour in the milk. Let the bread soak while the onions are cooling. Combine the meats in a large bowl. Add the egg and cheese and season generously with salt and pepper. Use your hands to squeeze the excess milk out of the bread and add it to the bowl along with the cooled onion mixture. Gently combine all the ingredients with your hands until just mixed together. Don't overwork the mixture or the meatballs will be tough. Divide the mixture into 8 equal pieces and shape them into 8 nice looking meatballs. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

RAGU ALLA NAPOLETANA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine pine nuts, raisins and garlic. Lay meat slices on a work surface, and season them lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle pine nut and raisin mixture on 1 side of the slices. Roll slices up and secure them with a toothpick or tie them with kitchen string. Place them in a large, deep saute pan and add oil, onion and 4 cups of water. Place over medium heat and simmer, uncovered, until water has evaporated, about 1 1/4 hours.
• Continue cooking, turning meat rolls with tongs, until meat is lightly browned on all sides. Add wine to pan and cook until evaporated. Drain tomatoes, reserving juice, and coarsely chop tomatoes. Add tomatoes, reserved juice and tomato paste to pan and bring to a simmer. Cook until sauce is very thick, about 2 hours.
• Remove meat from pan with tongs, remove toothpicks or cut string, and place meat on a serving platter. Season sauce with salt and pepper, and pour it over ziti or penne. Serve with meat and grated Parmesan on the side.

RAGU NAPOLETANO (NEAPOLITAN MEAT SAUCE)

Steps:

• In a large pasta pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil until smoking.
• Season the veal and beef with salt and pepper to taste and sear 5 or 6 pieces at a time over medium heat, until dark golden brown.
• Remove to a plate and repeat with remaining meat chunks (if using ground chuck, be sure to drain any excess grease from pan).
• Add the onion to the pan and sauté, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits.
• Cook until the onions are golden brown and very soft, about 10 minutes.
• Add the wine, browned meat chunks, tomatoes, sausages, and pepper flakes and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook 2 ½-3 hours, stirring occasionally and skimming off the fat as necessary.
• Remove from the heat and remove meat and sausages from sauce.
• Cover well and save for another meal.
• Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and allow to cool.

RAGU ALLA NAPOLETANA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine pine nuts, raisins and garlic. Lay meat slices on a work surface, and season them lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle pine-nut and raisin mixture on one side of the slices. Roll slices up and secure them with a toothpick or tie them with kitchen string. Place them in a large, deep saute pan and add oil, onion and 4 cups of water. Place over medium heat and simmer, uncovered, until water has evaporated, about 1 1/4 hours.
• Continue cooking, turning meat rolls with tongs, until meat is lightly browned on all sides. Add wine to pan and cook until evaporated. Drain tomatoes, reserving juice, and coarsely chop tomatoes. Add tomatoes and reserved juice to pan, and bring to a simmer. Cook until sauce is very thick, about 2 hours.
• Remove meat from pan with tongs, remove toothpicks or cut string, and place meat on a serving platter. Season sauce with salt and pepper, and pour it over ziti or penne. Serve with meat and grated Parmesan cheese on the side.

NEOPOLITAN STYLE RAGU

Steps:

• 1. Season the pork with 1 t salt and pepper. 2. In a food processor, chop together parsley, onions, garlic, pancetta and prosciutto to make a very coarse paste. 3. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add seasoning paste and another t salt and cook until the paste is fragrant and no more liquid appears when it is stirred, about 7 minutes. 4. Add pork roast, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook, turning every 15 min until meat is lightly browned and onions have begun to color, about 1 hour. 5. Add red wine, loosely cover and continue cooking until wine reduces to a thick sauce, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If, after 1 hour and 15 minutes, wine has not reduced sufficiently, remove the roast to a plate, increase heat to medium-high and cook sauce until it thickens. 6. Over low heat, stir in tomato paste, 2 or 3 T at a time, stirring in each addition until it mixes into the sauce and darkens to a brick color. Stir in crushed tomatoes, return roast to the pan if previously removed, and cover and continue to cook, turning meat every 30 minutes and stirring the sauce until meat is tender enough to be easily pierced with a meat fork, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. If sauce dries out too much and meat begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, stir in a T or two of water. 7. Remove roast to a plate and keep warm until ready to serve. Crumble Italian sausage into sauce and cook until sauce is extremely dark, unctuous, shiny and thick, stirring occasionally, about another hour. (The dish can be prepared to this point and refrigerated overnight.) 8. Cook pasta in plenty of rapidly boiling, heavily salted water. 9. When the pasta is cooked but still slightly chewy, drain it and toss it in a bowl with the butter. Spoon over half of the sauce and toss just to coat lightly. Transfer to a serving bowl and spoon more sauce over the top. Sprinkle over the Parmigiano-Reggiano and pass more on the side.

NEOPOLITAN NACHOS #RAGU

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Remove italian sausage from casing and cook in 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until browned, resembling ground beef. Drain and set aside to cool.
• Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil to large pot of boiling water and cook lasagna noodles according to package directions, except do not add salt. Drain well and lay out on a cutting board. Spray lightly with olive oil spray, flip over and spray other side.
• Cut each noodle crosswise into 2-inch squares, then cut each square in half diagonally to form "chips". Arrange pasta on large baking sheets sprayed with olive oil spray.
• Combine bread crumbs, 1/4 cup of the parmesan (set aside 1/4 cup to top nachos), herbs, garlic powder, paprika and salt and mix well. Sprinkle noodles with crumb mixture, and then spray again with olive oil spray.
• Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until the edges are crisp and golden brown. They burn easily, so stay close!
• Remove pans from oven and arrange chips on oven-safe plates, in one layer or piled high - your choice. Change oven setting to broil.
• Top with dollops of warmed Ragu Spicy Italian Style sauce, and sprinkle evenly with one and a half cups of the mozzarella, then the cooled and browned sausage, green pepper, onion and pine nuts. Top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan, and bake until cheese is bubbling and slightly browned, up to 5 minutes. Again, stay nearby and watch closely!
• Remove from oven, sprinkle with fresh basil and serve.