“I’ve eaten at Bar Alto on numerous occasions. It’s a great spot for Sunday lunch or an enjoyable evening meal with family and friends. The thing that draws me back is not the beautiful position on the Brisbane River. Nor the hustle and bustle of an open kitchen. It’s for chef Pablo Tordesillas’ dish of homemade pappardelle with goat ragù. It sounds so simple, and it is, yet the simplicity of the dish is what makes it so good. Pablo slowly braises the baby goat shoulder with tomato, onion, carrot, garlic, thyme and bay leaves, adding to the rich flavour of the dish, but the key is braising the meat on the bone. Goat might not be readily available and may require ordering from a specialist butcher. You’ll need to ask your butcher to cut it into pieces through the bone. Good alternatives would include lamb shanks, osso bucco, pork shoulder or rabbit, but you may need to adjust cooking times.”
Philip Johnson, E’cco Bistro, Qld
Ingredients
Pappardelle
Method
Main
1.Preheat oven to 140C. Season meat to taste. Heat oil in a casserole over medium-high heat until smoking, add meat and turn occasionally until browned (3-5 minutes). Transfer to an oven tray and keep warm. Add vegetables to casserole and sauté until starting to caramelise (10-12 minutes). Add tomato and stock and bring to the boil. Add thyme and bay leaves. Return meat to casserole, cover closely with baking paper, cover with a lid and bake until meat is tender and almost falls from the bone (2½-3 hours). Remove goat from sauce and, when cool enough to handle, break into bite-size pieces (discard bones). Remove herbs from sauce and discard, then process sauce with a hand blender until smooth. Return meat to sauce, bring just to the boil over medium heat, stir in butter and olives. Season to taste and keep warm.
2.Meanwhile, for pappardelle, combine eggs, oil and 60ml water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, add flour and a pinch of salt and mix on low speed until mixture comes together (10-15 minutes). Turn onto a lightly floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic (3-5 minutes), cover with a damp tea towel and rest for 1 hour. Cut dough into 6 pieces. Working with one piece at a time (keep remaining covered with a damp tea towel), lightly flour dough and feed through the rollers of a pasta machine at the widest setting, folding once or twice until dough is smooth. Reduce settings notch by notch, feeding and rolling dough until it reaches the last notch and is 1mm thick. Cut into 12cm lengths. Hang on a rod until dry but still elastic (2-3 hours). Roll up each sheet, cut into 1.5cm wide strips, lightly flour and store on a tray at room temperature.
3.Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, add pasta and cook until al dente (2-3 minutes). Drain, add to ragù with cheese and parsley, toss and serve with extra cheese to the side.
