Recipe for leftovers: turn braised beef into beef ravioli
Leftovers offer a great opportunity to create something wonderful from a dish you know is delicious
Text Susan Jung / Photography Jonathan Wong / Styling Nellie Ming Lee
With a little imagination, leftovers can be just as delicious as the dish they originally came from, albeit in a different way. I once made braised beef cooked with lots of onion for dinner guests then froze the excess. A few weeks later, I turned the remains into ravioli.
This should serve four or five normal eaters, with enough left over for the ravioli recipe that follows.
Ask the butcher for a nice piece of brisket that has a thin layer of fat on the exterior and meat that's well-marbled with fat and collagen. If it's too lean, the sauce won't be rich enough (the collagen adds body) and the meat will be tougher.
Sprinkle salt over the exterior of the brisket. Heat about 30ml of cooking oil in a large, heavy pan (preferably a cast-iron or enamelled cast-iron Dutch oven) that's big enough to hold the beef in one piece. When the oil is hot, brown the beef well on all sides. Remove the beef from the pan. If there's a lot of fat, pour off all but about 60ml. Add the onion to the pan and stir well to coat with the fat. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then cook over a low-medium flame until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to turn golden. Add the chilli flakes and stir for about 30 seconds, then mix in the mustard, vinegar, maple syrup, anchovy fillets and tomatoes. Simmer for about five minutes, then add the white wine. Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer for five more minutes. Add the beef to the pan then pour in the chicken or beef stock. Bring to the boil then lower the heat and cover the pan with the lid. Simmer over a low flame for one hour.
Taste the sauce and correct if needed (but don't add salt yet; it will get saltier as the sauce reduces). Continue to simmer for about five hours or until the meat is very tender but not falling apart. The liquid in the pot should be of a light sauce-like consistency - if it's too thin, remove the meat to a warm platter and cover it with aluminium foil. Turn the flame under the pot to medium and cook, stirring almost constantly, to reduce the liquid. Add some black pepper to the sauce then taste for seasonings and correct as needed.
Slice the meat against the grain and spoon some of the sauce over the top, serving the rest on the side.
When chilled, the braised beef's liquid should solidify into a jelly - this will melt as it cooks, ensuring the filling is moist.
However much leftover beef you have, adjust the proportions accordingly. If you have leftover dough, make it into noodles, dust them with flour and dry them in loosely shaped bundles. Put the bundles in zip-lock bags and freeze to use later.
Thoroughly combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk three of the eggs then add them to the flour and mix to make a rough dough that's neither sticky nor dry; if it is sticky, add a little more flour, if it's dry, mix in a little warm water. Knead the dough briefly, then wrap it in cling-film and leave for 30 minutes.
Make the filling. Take 350 grams of the chilled braised beef and finely chop it. Mix it with 30 grams of grated parmesan and some ground pepper.
Whisk the remaining egg. Divide the dough into six pieces. Work with one piece at a time, covering the rest so it doesn't dry out. Knead the dough by rolling it through the pasta machine, which should be on its widest setting. Fold it into thirds, give it a 90-degree turn and roll it again, repeating until it feels smooth. Roll it thinner by progressively narrowing the notches of the machine, until you have a very thin, long sheet.
Lay the pasta sheet on a work surface and, using a ruler and a fluted rolling cutter, trim the sheet so it's 8cm wide. Put blobs of the filling 2cm away from one side of the long edge of the pasta sheet, spacing them at 4cm intervals. Use a small pastry brush to very lightly brush egg along the long edge of the pasta sheet and between the mounds of filling, then fold the opposite edge of the dough over the filling, to cover it. Use the sides of your hands to firmly seal the dough between the blobs and along the long edge, pressing out as much air as possible.
Use the rolling cutter to cut between the filling to separate the ravioli. Press the edges again, to make sure the ravioli are sealed. Repeat with the remaining filling and pasta dough. Cover the prepared ravioli with a dish towel, to prevent them from drying out.
Heat the butter in a small pan until it turns pale brown and smells nutty. Warm the remaining beef and onion mixture.
In a large pot of salted water, boil the ravioli in batches until they float to the surface. Drain the ravioli, then put them in shallow bowls. Spoon some of the sauce on top, drizzle with melted butter and shave parmesan over each portion. Serve immediately.
