Lamb bolognese

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. — Olive oil
• 1 lb. — Ground lamb shoulder
• Kosher Salt
• 2 — Medium carrots, diced
• 1 — Stalk celery, diced
• 2 — Garlic cloves, diced
• 2 cups — Dry red wine
• 12 oz — Canned San Marzano tomatoes, chopped
• 3 sprigs — Fresh thyme
• 1 — Fresh bay leaf
• Pinch Red chili flakes
• 1 lb. — Tagliatelle pasta
• 1/4 cup — Grated Pecorino cheese
• 2 tbsp. — Heavy cream
• 2 tbsp. — Extra – virgin olive oil
• 1 cup — Fresh mint leaves, chiffonade

Instructions

1. Heat a large heavy bottom pot with the olive oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the lamb with a liberal pinch of salt and cook until brown, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the browned lamb from the pan and set aside. Add the vegetables to the pan with a large pinch of salt and sweat until translucent and aromatic, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sweat 1 minute more. Deglaze the pan with the red wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to get all the browned bits into the sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by about half. Then add the tomatoes, oregano, thyme, bay leaf, chili flakes, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the lamb back into the pan and let simmer 45-60 minutes longer, adding a bit of water as needed if the liquid reduces too much. 
3. While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When you have 10 minutes left for the sauce, drop the pasta into the boiling water and give a stir so it doesn’t stick. When the pasta is cooked al dente, remove and set aside 1/2 cup of the pasta water, and then drain the pasta. Stir the pasta into the sauce to coat the noodles. Add the reserved pasta water, cream, olive oil and mint and continue to mix. Once everything is incorporated, remove from the heat and serve immediately.  Distribute amongst shallow bowls and top with Pecorino.

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