Lamb Sugo

During the Chicago trip, I tasted some delicious things. One of my favorite dishes was the Sugo at Girl and the Goat, which featured pappardelle pasta, and I knew that I had to try making something similar myself in Columbus. Before we left the city, I made sure to stop by Eataly to pick up some of that pasta. The version here doesn't taste anything like what I was trying to replicate (I didn't know where to acquire goat, so I found a sugo recipe using lamb instead, and I didn't even try to find gooseberries), but it's still delicious in its own right.

QUICK LAMB SUGO
Slightly adapted from Fine Cooking

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 2 Tbps extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and cut into small dice (about 1-1/4 cups), plus 1 to 2 Tbs. chopped fennel fronds
• 1 small onion, cut into small dice
• 1 lb. ground lamb
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 3/4 cup dry red wine
• 3/4 cup tomato juice
• 1/3 Tbsp dried oregano
• 1 lb. fresh pasta -- I used dried parappardelle instead of fresh, cooked according to package directions and drained
• Pecorino romano cheese for garnish

Heat olive oil to medium-high heat. Add fennel, onion, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook until onions start to brown, which should take about 4 minutes. 

Add the lamb, 1/2 tsp pepper, and another 1/2 tsp salt. Stir to break up the meat and cook until lightly browned and cooked thoroughly, which should take about another 4 minutes.

Move all your meat to one side of the pan, add tomato paste to the other side, and let it cook for a little bit before stirring into the meat. 

Add wine, then cook until most of liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add tomato juice and cook until sauce thickens and clings to the meat, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add fennel fronds.

 Add cooked drained pasta to the sauce and cook for an additional minute, then remove from heat. 

I garnished with more fennel fronds, but forgot to add cheese. Still good :)