This past Friday I drank & supped with some old and new friends and discovered a new eatery that’s 
operated in Toronto for years.
I supped at none other than Gio Rana’s Really Really Nice Restaurant. Upon pulling up in front of what used to be a bank, you wonder if you’re at the right address but as soon as you enter the premise, catch the buzz of the crowd, the positive vibe of the staff and ultimately taste the food. You’ll realize why this joint has been satisfying Torontonians with Italian food for years.
If you’re in Toronto and you feel like Italian, a fun crowd and at affordable prices, go to Geo’s! I started off with the Frito Misto and finished off with a grilled whole Branzino (Lavraki) stuffed with tarragon and lemon. I also ordered a side of rapini but the dish that stood out in my mind enough to replicate it the next day was the Lamb Ragu.
Geo’s served me an aromatic, slow-braised lamb that was served on a bed of homemade Pappardelle pasta. It was a small “secondi” so every twirl of pasta in my fork was savoured. The dish left me wanting more and based on my taste memory and a quick scan of the internet, I was able to successfully recreate a wonderful dish that will make a 
lover of lamb out of anyone….sheepish (pun intended)!
Jamie Oliver has a game ragu recipe which makes for a good starting point but if you want something more concrete, take a look at Claudia’s ragu at Cook Eat Fret.
Both Jamie and Claudia reinforced my taste memory of Gio’s ragu and convinced myself that I would go in the right direction with my own take.
Ragu is Italian for meat sauce (not that awful jarred tomato sauce) and although the sauce comes together after a couple of hours, it’s quite easy, 
ideal for that lazy Saturday or Sunday afternoon where you can turn up some tunes, open some wine and gracefully cook, drink and entertain at the same time.
On this occasion I also had the opportunity to once again put my new pasta machine to use and make some homemade Pappardelle (thicker than fettucine). There are tons of “how to” references on making homemade pasta so I’ll only emphazise that the general rule is about 1 cup flour plus 1 egg for each pasta serving. Most recipes include olive oil, salt and some water in the mix.
Pasta dough is very forgiving and once you know you’re way around your pasta machine, you’ll be cranking out enough pasta to guraantee you a spot in carbohydrate heaven!
Ragu of Braised Lamb
(serves 6)
1 1/2 lbs. of lamb shoulder (bone in)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, diced 
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 carrots, fine dice
2 stalks of celery, fine dice
1 tsp. dry rosemary
1 bunch of thyme
3 bay leaves
4-5 allspice berries
2 cups of good tomato puree (passata) 
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
3 sun-dried tomatoes, minced
1 1/2 cups of red wine
1 cup of beef, veal or lamb stock
1/2 cup cream grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
homemade Pappardelle (or pasta of your choice)
- Trim your lamb meat of excess fat but still leave some on. Season with salt & pepper and pre-heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown your lamb meat in batches and set aside and reserve.
- Now lower your heat to medium and add your onions, carrots, celery, parsely and garlic and saute for about 1o minutes or until softened. Make a bouquet garni by rolling your bay leaves, thyme springs, rosemary and allspice berries in a tied cheesecloth ( I forgot to but YOU should) and add into the skillet.
- Add your tomato paste and sundried tomatoes and stir in and cook for a couple of minutes. Now add your wine and simmer for another five minutes. Add your tomato puree (passata), pieces of lamb and stock and bring to a boil. Add some salt and pepper to taste and cover. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about an hour. Remove the lid and simmer for another 30 minutes.
- You lamb meat should fall off the bone and be fork-tender. Remove the meat from the sauce and continue to simmer the sauce until you’ve achieved your desired consistency (I chose thick, for another 30 minutes.
- Get a large pot of water boiling and get your pasta cooking. Separate the lamb meat from the bones and tear the meat into bite-sized pieces. When the sauce has thickened to your liking, the meat, cream and some grated cheese. Remove the bouquet garni and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Add a good amount of salt to your water and boil dry pasta according to package’s instructions or about 3-4 minutes for fresh pasta. Strain pasta and divide among the 6 bowls. Serve a heaping ladle of lamb ragu over the pasta and grate some Romano or Parmesan and a few turns of fresh ground pepper.
If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.blogspot.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author. © 2007-2009 Peter Minakis
74 Responses
your paparedelle are just beautiful. i love fresh noodles.
I’d like a spot in carbohydrate heaven! This is so wonderfully inviting Peter…I can almost smell it from here!
sounds fabulous and the dish is quite inviting. I really like the ratio of wine to broth too!
Peter this llloks incredible. All my favorite flavors and techniques. I really have to get a pasta maker.
When I saw your photo earlier today, I just about fell over. What a gorgeous plate of pasta with ragu! I enjoyed reading about your inspiration for this, as I often gleen my recipes from two or three sources when I can’t find exactly what I want. I should have dug through your site for the lamb recipe I made last week. Ugh. Next time…
Papparedelle and ragu is one of my top ten favorite comfies. It’s like a massage (with a happy ending) for your tummy!
Nothing beat fresh paparedelle, add to that is the best ragu, I personally like lamb then beef.
Cheers,
Elra
LOL at ‘anyone….sheepish’!!!
Well done you with your paparedelle! That ragu of yours looks so yummy I could eat a bowl right now (6am)!!! Hope you saved me some?
What a gorgeous dish! With homemade pasta, mmmhhh! To die for!
Cheers,
Rosa
What a gorgeous dish! With homemade pasta, mmmhhh! To die for!
Cheers,
Rosa
What a gorgeous dish! With homemade pasta, mmmhhh! To die for!
Cheers,
Rosa
What a gorgeous dish! With homemade pasta, mmmhhh! To die for!
Cheers,
Rosa
What a gorgeous dish! With homemade pasta, mmmhhh! To die for!
Cheers,
Rosa
What a gorgeous dish! With homemade pasta, mmmhhh! To die for!
Cheers,
Rosa
What a beautiful pasta dish. The lamb sounds amazing and your pasta looks perfect. I could dig into a bowl of this right now.
i love making my own pasta – it’s kind of like making pastry, with a very soothing aspect about it
Fresh homemade pasta and ragu!!!
WOW Peter!!!!!
I hope you saved a little portion for me;-)
This looks delightful, I’m such a fan of hearty lamb ragu!!
The pasta, though….homemade pasta is one of my kitchen nemeses. I think I’m missing the gene that allows one to roll things out thinly without falling apart (the cook, not the dough!).
Very nice! One day I will make my own pappardelle – there is nothing like it with a rich ragu like that!
not to be too much like a friend of yours and mine but, that ragu of braised lamb looks really good!
what a gorgeous dish! i think i’m partial to things adorned with bits of pepper. :)
Any leftovers….ship them up north!
Any leftovers….ship them up north!
Any leftovers….ship them up north!
Any leftovers….ship them up north!
Any leftovers….ship them up north!
Any leftovers….ship them up north!
Eh Paisan! This is wonderful! Homemade no less! I bet it was great. A little work on the macaroni but all worth it, right?
Good job, Peter. Brava!
I would a serving of this right now. Your pasta came out perfect I love papardelle and lamb.
You know I love this one…hold on while I get a glass of chianti (hee hee).
I see you’re doing very well with the pasta machine. Kudos to you!
That looks like the perfect lazy Sunday kind of meal
Peter your homemade pasta looks great! You are right it is very relaxing to make and I hope to do it more often. Love it the we can control what goes into it. I have made it with the olive oil and I like the egg and water version the best. Now I need to learn how to make good lamb- I think I can start here!
Look at that pasta! Gorgeous!
and the meat sauce aint too bad either! Perfect.
This is such a lovely pasta. My compliments.
I want someone to prepare that for me! I want to come back from work and be frozen to the bone and put my feet under the table and spoon away the lovely pasta and lamb. Boohoooo why do I always have to cook myself everything I eat!
I’ve only made pasta once. I don’t have a pasta machine but was watching an Italian granny make it with ease and had myself convinced I could do it as easily. Mine (obviously) was thick and wasn’t tender. It takes a lifetime of practice to make it look that easy. Your dish is my version of comfort food.
I'm interested in your pasta making experiences. As I understand it, making homemade pasta isn't difficult, and I've gotten the itch to whip up some of my own (herb & veggie infused) varieties. Any reference or cookbooks you might suggest?
It’s Chinese New Years and I feel like I should make something Chinese for dinner, but after reading this I’m really craving some al dente pappardelle and your ragu!
Mmm, this looks amazingly delicious and comforting. And with the fresh pappardelle, it’s even better!
Mmm you won my heart with homemade pasta.
Dinner looks awesome, but I would expect nothing less from you, Peter!
The pasta looks great, but I think it would take me forever to make enough for my hungry horde! I just adore lamb, too!
I can smell that sauce all the way over here! Sounds delicious Peter. I have two things I have been meaning to tackle and still haven’t: making fresh pasta and baking fresh bread.
This looks absolutely incredible! I love lamb – and that ragu sounds delicious!!
Ever since my last dinner party, I’ve been obsessed with pots of slow cooked meats. This lamb looks so wonderful.
I have to start making my own pasta again. It’s been a while.
I love the sound and look of that sauce–that just sounds spectacular. I’ll need to time it with the swings in warm/cold weather here–I could have used this about a week ago. And that pasta also looks great!
I love the sound and look of that sauce–that just sounds spectacular. I’ll need to time it with the swings in warm/cold weather here–I could have used this about a week ago. And that pasta also looks great!
I love the sound and look of that sauce–that just sounds spectacular. I’ll need to time it with the swings in warm/cold weather here–I could have used this about a week ago. And that pasta also looks great!
I love the sound and look of that sauce–that just sounds spectacular. I’ll need to time it with the swings in warm/cold weather here–I could have used this about a week ago. And that pasta also looks great!
I love the sound and look of that sauce–that just sounds spectacular. I’ll need to time it with the swings in warm/cold weather here–I could have used this about a week ago. And that pasta also looks great!
I love the sound and look of that sauce–that just sounds spectacular. I’ll need to time it with the swings in warm/cold weather here–I could have used this about a week ago. And that pasta also looks great!
Homemade pasta is the BEST!! Yours looks perfecto!
ahh Peter, you always read my mind. The husband received a wonderful Italian cookbook for Christmas, and a lamb ragu was one recipe that immediately caught both our eyes. And how I love excuses to whip out the pasta maker. always more fun and less fuss than I remember.
Love your homemade pasta. I also remember that post of Claudia’s – it prompted me to try my own ragu of lamb, pork and beef. I think I may be ready to try lamb again…
So very homey. Makes me feel good all over just thinking about it.
I’ve always made a ragu with beef shanks and I have yet to try it with lamb. This looks particularly rich, so I definitely would love to switch it up next time.
Thanks for the restaurant suggestion. I’m heading into Toronto for a night out next month. It’s on the list!
I was thinking today that I should get a pasta machine. Beautiful fresh pasta and sauce.
I love a thicker, homemade noodle! This looks so good; I swear I can smell the yumminess from here! I’ve not cooked with allspice berries, but all the other ingredients are familiar. This is such a lovely dish *sigh* !!
Carbo heaven…….I cannot think of a better place right now. You have once again created a fantastic meal, Peter! Well done!
Fresh pasta, yum! Peter you’re certainly putting that machine to work.
The pasta looks gr8! nice clicks too! yummy.
great dish Peter. I made a bolognese last night but bought pasta. I need to try going homemade sometime soon.
Yeah, who cares about 7th heaven? I want a bit of space in your carbohidrate heaven :D
Should I ask the pasta machine for my birthday? It’s right here in the corner and your dish looks estupendo y delicioso :D
Wow, Peter! This is so great looking and I am really impressed with the amount of work and research that went into it. I am so craving this right now.
This looks amazing!
Gee Peter, this is awesome! And what is really calling me is your homemade pasta. I have never made it myself, so, you just might be inspiring me here to make a pasta machine my next kitchen toy. Ooh, that thick ribbon, I just love it.
LL
After all the Chinese food over the lunar new year period, your lovely pasta makes me crave for some ;p
The pasta looks absolutely silky and the richness of the ragu comes right through in the picture.
I’ve had such a craving for papardelle, in fact I pulled out my machine but haven’t done anything as of yet, and now I see yours and it looks so good! Nothing like homemade!
Right now all of the lamb in my freezer is covered up by a 1/4 of a cow, but as soon as I get within reach of some lamb I’m making this. My mouth is totally watering!
Oh my WORD that looks good! That lamb cooked till it falls off the bone, the fresh pasta… want some NOW!
Carbohydrate heaven is calling me – I hope to find some of your lamb ragu there!
I made this last week and it was amazing! I am definitely making it again.
Thank you!