Full question
Hi there! I am cooking for my partner who doesn’t like lamb mince, but will eat beef mince. I love the Pappardelle With Lamb Ragu, so I am wondering if I can exchange the lamb for beef and, if I do, are there any changes I need to make to the herbs etc to make the flavours work? Thank you for your help!
Our answer
Nigella's Pappardelle With Lamb Ragu has a quick-cooking sauce made with minced (ground) lamb that is enhanced with the flavours of redcurrant and mint, spiced with dried chilli and given a boost of umami savouriness with Worcestershire sauce. The lamb could be replaced with minced beef, but don't use the extra-lean type of mince as it could make the sauce a little too dry.
The flavours of Worcestershire sauce, chilli flakes and redcurrant jelly will all work well with beef. However, we would swap the 1 teaspoon of dried mint for ½ teaspoon of dried thyme, as mint is not a particularly natural partner to beef.
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