Recipe

Italian-style boerewors ragu

Recipe developed for AMC Cookware
Serves 4

The Italians love a rich tomato sauce with meatballs on pasta and now we’ve added a South African twist by using traditional boerewors to create quick meatballs. This hot-take we developed for AMC Cookware a while back and it’s really one of those recipes that you will make again and again. While you’re busy in the kitchen, prepare a double batch of the basic tomato sauce to have some ready in the freezer to cook another supper in a flash. This is true homestyle comfort cooking! You can even add any other protein of your choice to the tomato sauce, like chicken, fish, bacon or steak strips. If the meat is cooked, just reheat it in the sauce, alternatively, simmer the protein in the sauce until just cooked.

Ingredients

30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 carrots, coarsely grated

2 celery stalks with the leaves, chopped

5 ml (1 tsp) fennel seeds (optional)

1 x 50 g sachet (50 ml) tomato paste

200 ml vegetable stock, strong Rooibos or red wine

2 x 410 g tins chopped tomatoes

100 ml chopped fresh herbs of your choice like Italian parsley, rosemary, thyme, origanum or basil

1 bay leaf

30 ml (2 tbsp) balsamic vinegar

lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste

500 g good-quality boerewors (sausage)

300 g pasta shape of your choice like linguine and fusilli

grated cheese like a mature white cheddar or pecorino, for serving

fresh origanum or basil leaves for garnish

Method

1. Heat a large frying pan over a medium temperature. Add half the oil and sauté onions and garlic until softened.
2. Add carrots, celery and fennel seeds and sauté for a few more minutes.
3. Add the tomato paste and stock, Rooibos or red wine and bring to the boil.
4. Reduce the heat and stir in the tomatoes (rinse the tin with a little water) with the fresh herbs, bay leaf and vinegar. Simmer without a lid over medium heat for 15 minutes until flavourful and slightly thickened. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
5. Remove boerewors from its casing by pushing the minced meat out into a bowl. Roll into 15-20 even-sized meatballs. Place balls into the simmering tomato sauce and cover with a lid. Cook for another 15 minutes until meatballs are cooked through. Turn them over to coat with the sauce and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. While the meatballs are cooking, bring a large pot with enough water and some salt added, to the boil.
7. Add pasta once the water is rapidly boiling. Boil for about 10-15 minutes or until cooked (‘al dente’), according to the instructions on the packaging.
8. Drain pasta and return to the warm pot. Stir in remaining oil.
9. Enjoy meatballs and the sauce on the cooked pasta and top with cheese. Garnish with fresh herbs.

Tip

1. This ragu will also be delicious on phutu pap or polenta.

Images: Matt van Lill
Client: AMC Cookware