Haven’t cooked for some time so I have been naturally aching to scratch that creative “itch”. Last week, I so happened to catch up with a good friend of mine who also happens to be a culinary aficionado. Admittedly, he is way more refined than me when it comes to the palate; at least he has experienced firsthand what it is like to work in a 3-star michelin restaurant. “Priceless experience”, he would say. He was kind enough to share with me two ‘secret’ recipes (well, not so much of a secret any longer after I publish it on KitchenMess) that will take no longer than 30 minutes to prepare and cook. One is the lazy man’s guide to a tasty ragout which I am about to share with you right now. INGREDIENTS (serves one):
- 1 sausage (I used lamb, hence the name “lazy lamb ragout”)
- 1 can of diced tomatoes in sauce (~411g tin)
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon of worcester sauce
- 1 chopped small onion/shallot
- 1 bunch of torn basil leaves
- 1 cup wholewheat penne uncooked
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Freshly grated parmesan (optional)
METHOD:
1) Heat saucepan, add a knob of olive oil and then throw in the diced shallots. After 1-2 minutes, open the can of diced tomatoes and pour all the contents in. Low boil for 20 mins, stirring occasionally. Add 1 teaspoon of worcester sauce and a squirt of tomato paste (~ 1 tablespoon). Season with salt and pepper. Stir until dissolved. 
2) While tomato sauce is brewing, de-skin the sausage. Simply use a small knife to peel off all the skin.
3) Mash the sausage content with a fork and sprinkle with some black pepper. 
4) Now to cook the pasta. Boil pot of water, add some salt and throw in one cup of dry penne pasta (I used wholewheat here to boost my overall fiber content for the day). Cook according to package instructions (roughly 10-11 minutes for al dente).
5) In the meantime, add the minced lamb mixture into the saucepan with the tomato sauce and with the aid of the fork and slotted spoon, quickly break apart the meat inside the sauce so that it more or less resembles a ragout. Cook for another 5-10 minutes until done.
6) By now the pasta should be ready. Drain the pasta in a colander and pour cooked pasta into a serving bowl. Pour the tomato lamb ragout sauce mixture on top of the pasta.
7) Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese if desired. And there you go, a 30 minute hearty ragout. Serve and enjoy.
