Bucatini with Lamb Ragu

A few week's ago I ordered a dish called papardelle with stout braised lamb, oyster mushrooms, spinach, and pecorino at a local restaurant called Zelo. The wide papardelle noodles, oyster mushrooms, and braised lamb were the standout players in the dish while there was a sauce...a red one i think -- that went unnoticed but rounded out pasta with just the right flavors. 

For some reason my memory was a little foggy on the ingredients when I stopped by the grocery store with the intention of making it at home. I got lamb, shiitake mushrooms, and lots of crushed tomatoes for a ragu sauce. Needless to say, my version was quite different than the inspiration, but still quite good. I have a love-hate relationship with lamb, so if you don't like "game-y" tasting meat, I would suggest substituting italian sausage. I only used 1/2 lb. of lamb, and a shank cut, and thought that was plenty for my taste buds. The original recipe called for shoulder, so I recommend trying that cut instead.

Recipe adapted from Men's Health

1/2 - 1 lb. lamb shoulder (or 1 lb. ground italian sausage - skip the braising part)
2 C. chicken broth (only if making lamb)
Olive oil
2 carrots, diced small
1 medium onion, diced small
2 stalks celery, diced small
3 C. red wine
54 oz. crushed tomatoes (about 2 cans)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried thyme
4 bay leafs
1 8oz. package shiitake or oyster mushrooms
Crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb. cooked pappardelle noodles (I used bucatini, but papardelle would work much better)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Begin by braising the lamb in a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven. Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil over high heat and then brown the meat on all sides -- about 5 minutes. Pour in the chicken stock and add enough water to bring the liquid halfway up the sides of the meat. (I decided to use a little red wine and tossed in some of the mire poix veggies for extra flavor). Cover, and bake a 300 degrees for 3 hours, or until the meat is falling apart. Remove from pan, allow to cool, then shred into small pieces. Now, I hope you didn't clean that pan yet, because we're going to deglaze it's lingering flavors and start the sauce. Discard the remaining liquid from the braising pan and bring back to the stove. Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil and over medium-high heat, add in the carrots, onion, and celery. Saute for 5 minutes or so until the vegetables become translucent. Pour in the wine and delglaze the pan by scraping down all he brown bits and incorporating them into the liquid. Add the tomatoes, garlic, thyme, and bay leafs. Reduce heat to low, and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, for an hour. Add the mushrooms and red pepper to taste. Continue to cook until mushrooms are soft - about 30 minutes. Boil the noodles and top with the sauce and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.