RIGATONI CALABRESE
Ingredients (4 servings): 1 package Rigatoni
- 1kg beef cheeks (ask the butcher to cut them in portions)
- 2 large onions
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1⁄2 lt beef bone stock or 1 beef stock cube dissolved in 1⁄2 lt water
- 1 glass of red wine (preferably a dry, aromatic wine)
- 100 g. grated pecorino cheese
Execution:
Cut the onion into thin slices and peel the tomatoes.
In a large deep pot, put the olive oil and sauté the meat. We want all sides of the meat seared and leave all the flavor in the pot.
After the cheeks are nicely browned, remove them from the pot.
Put the onions and let them caramelize over low heat; using a wooden spoon and 2 tablespoons of water scrape all the tasty bits left at the bottom of the pan from the sautéed cheeks.
Once the onions have caramelized, put the meat back in, add the tomato paste, salt, cinnamon, mix the ingredients and after sautéing for 2-3 minutes pour the wine.
Allow the alcohol to evaporate and add the tomatoes and the stock until all ingredients are covered. Close the pot with aluminum foil as best as you can.
Put the lid on and cover with aluminum foil again. Turn down the heat to the lowest grade and cook for about 3:30 hours, checking every hour to add stock, if needed.
The cheeks soften and become tastier the longer we cook them, so if you try them and find them to be hard, leave them on for more time.
Once they are meltingly tender, open the pot lid, add the pasta and cook it until ready, according to the package instructions.
Serve warm and sprinkle plenty of grated pecorino.
