After eating pasta nearly every day while on vacation, I’ve concluded that it’s simply not possible to get “pasta-ed out.” At least for me but I think for everyone. There’s just never going to be a time when I review a menu and pasta does not look like a delicious (or even the MOST delicious) choice, or when pasta is presented to me and it doesn’t taste amazing. Facts of life. So the dozens of pasta dishes I’ve eaten in the last month have actually only gotten me MORE excited about pasta, and made me want to share with you this fantastic (and fantastically simple) spring/summer pasta dish I made a couple of months ago.
I know sometimes lamb is divisive but I think it’s because people associate it with that one time they ate a really game-y and overcooked lamb kebab. I get that. But lamb has the potential to be a pretty light, flavorful and not at all tough meat if you buy the right stuff and treat it the right way. Lamb is one of those things I’m going to go ahead and spend money on because I, too, know what eating sweaty-tasting lamb is like (sorry if I just gave you whatever the taste version is of a terrible visual, but it’s true). Armed with some ground lamb from the butcher counter at Fairway and a few of the season’s finest yellow and red bell peppers, I was in business to throw together this pasta feast.
Anyone who comes over while you are cooking this meal and doesn’t want to stick their face in the pan and give themselves a steamed lamb facial is, simply put, crazy and you may want to consider being their friend. The smell that cooking this ragu filled my apartment with was absolutely magical (unlike so many of the cooking smells it sometimes gets filled with – looking at you, shrimp sauce!).
And the taste was even better. A short time after throwing the ingredients in a large pan I dug into an extra large plate of spaghetti filled with chewy pasta, the sweetest peppers and the mild but still distinct lamb. A match made in heaven and one I intend to revisit often.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 lb. ground lamb
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 1/2 cups lamb or chicken stock
- 1 (15 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 2 large red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 1 large yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 1 lb. thick spaghetti
- Grated Pecorino Romano, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high. Cook lamb, stirring and breaking up meat into small pieces, until browned, 6–8 minutes. Add bay leaves, garlic, salt, and pepper; cook until garlic is golden, 2–3 minutes. Stir in wine; cook until reduced by half, 2–3 minutes. Add stock, tomatoes, salt, and pepper; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, 35–40 minutes. Stir in peppers; cook until peppers are tender but not falling apart, 4–6 minutes. Discard bay leaves.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente, 10–12 minutes. Drain pasta and transfer to pan with sauce. Add salt and pepper and, using tongs, toss pasta in sauce. Divide pasta between bowls; garnish with pecorino.
Notes
Adapted from Saveur April 2015
