A criminally under loved cut of meat, shin of beef demands to be cooked slowly for a long time, given its natural toughness. When cooked properly, nonetheless, the shin is amongst the cow’s most flavoursome offerings (along with most of the cuts that have fallen out of favour), perfect as the base of a rich ragù sauce. As a result, a delicious, crowd-pleasing, relatively economical meal can be made with some due care and patience.
This beef shin ragù recipe from Marcella in Deptford – sister restaurant to critically acclaimed Artusi in Peckham – is simple to recreate at home. Like Artusi, Marcella’s food philosophy is to showcase the flavours of the Mediterranean and celebrate quality ingredients by cooking them simply. Here, the beef shin ragù is served with paccheri or pappardelle pasta, though polenta is another worthy accompaniment.