Low carb beef and cured pork ragu marrow and kale lasagne
One of my favourite fruits each year from the allotment is the humble marrow. It doesn’t need a lot of love and still it grows, and grows and just well, grows! I think they taste better the larger they get as they seem to gain some texture. It is quite bland on it’s own but it goes with just about everything, it contains vitamin A and vitamin C and is very low in calories so give it a go.
Marrow 
I love stuffed marrow but as I just picked a four and a half kilo it seemed slightly much for two people but I made a ragu and steamed the marrow. Admittedly not the most elegant dish in the world but it tasted lovely.
I cured a pork belly with bay leaves and chipotle chilli for 36 hours and used some of this for the ragu with the beef. I added lots of vegetables to use them and to make the meat go a bit longer.
Beef and cured pork ragu
Preparation time 20 minutes
Cooking time 3 hours
Oven 160C or 320F
serves 4
Ingredients
- 1/2 kg braising beef
- 150 grams or 5.2 ounce of diced cured pork belly
- 1 carrot
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 small golden beetroot
- a handful of runner beans
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 tin of pomodore tomatoes
- 1 bottle of (decent) red wine
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- salt & pepper
Dice the cured pork belly, or pancetta if you don’t have the time or opportunity to make this and start to brown this in an overproof pan with a lid.
Cut up the braising beef fine. Whilst the pork is browning dice the celery, beetroot and carrot fine, cut up the onion and slice the runner beans.
Add the beef to the browning pork 
The add the chopped vegetables
Add the spices, mix everything and then add the tomatoes and the red wine, the whole bottle. Mix it all up, put the lid on the pan and cook for 1 hour with the lid on. Then take the ragu out, stir, taste and cook for an hour without the lid on.
I used the ragu for a marrow and kale lasagne. There is so much kale I thought I would use some in the lasagne.
Marrow, kale and beef ragu lasagne
Preparation time 15 minutes
Cooking time 25 minutes
Oven 200C or 400F
Serves 3
Ingredients
- 3 dl or 1½ cup of beef ragu
- 3 dl or 1½ cup of skimmed milk
- 1 dl or 1/2 cup of chicken stock
- 4 tsp corn starch
- 1 heaped tsp philadelphia light
- 1 small piece of blue cheese
- 1/4 marrow
- 1 good handful of curly kale
- Leek
- a hint of nutmeg
- salt & pepper
Peel the marrow, de seed it and slice it. Remove the stems of the kale and steam both vegetables for 10 minutes. Chop the leek and set aside. Whilst that is cooking make the bechamel. Pour the skimmed milk and the chicken stock in a pan and bring to a boil. Dissolve the corn starch in a little water, add to the milk and stock and thicken. Let it thicken and take it off the heat. Add the Philadelphia cheese and the blue cheese. I used stilton as it has a lot of flavour and I didn’t have to use much of it. Last add a little grated nutmeg and chopped leek for additional taste.
Start by adding the marrow to the dish
Then add the steamed kale
The add the ragu
Last add the bechamel sauce and let bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
It didn’t looks too pretty on the plate but it tasted great and it was light for a beef dish and it was very low in carbs.
Beef ragu is a perfect dish to make on the weekend and eat during the week as it can be served lots of different ways and if there is anything left add some more vegetables, some light creme fraiche, gently heat it and make sloppy joes!
Food Eat Love 