Lamb Ragu

A hearty meat sauce, redolent with the rich taste of lamb. Serve with a chunky tubular pasta like rigatoni, or with gnocchi. Adapted from a recipe by Chichi Wang at Serious Eats. http://bit.ly/cx7JaR

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons  rendered lamb  fat or 2  tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil
• 1  medium onion, finely diced
• 1 1⁄2 lbs ground lamb
• 1  teaspoon ground fennel
• 1  teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons fresh rosemary or 1⁄2 teaspoon dried rosemary, to taste
• 3  teaspoons fresh thyme or 1  teaspoon dried thyme, to taste
• 1  teaspoon salt, to taste
• 1  teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1⁄2 cup dry red wine or 1⁄2 cup water
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 1⁄2 cups lamb stock or 1 1⁄2 cups  chicken stock

Directions

1. In a heavy pot, heat the fat or oil until it just begins to shimmer. Add onions and sweat gently until soft, about 5 minutes.
2. Add ground lamb and spices. Cook, stirring often, until lamb is no longer pink and most of the moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the wine, the tomatoes (with their juices), and the stock. Bring to boil, reduce to a simmer, cover partially and cook until liquid is reduced, 25-30 minutes.