Photo: Sweet and Spicy Sausage Ragu Nachos with Pickled Onions Recipe
Ingredients
Ragu:
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 ribs celery, cut into 1-inch dice
- 2 onions, cut into 1-inch dice
- 1 small fennel bulb, top and tough middle stalk removed, cut into 1-inch dice
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- 2 cups tomato paste
- 2 cups hearty red wine
- 1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 bunch fresh thyme, tied with butcher's twine
Pickled Onions:
- 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 to 3 really good shots hot sauce, such as Tabasco
- 1 red onion, sliced into very thin rings
Assembly:
- 1 large bag corn tortilla chips
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigianino
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup grated fontina cheese
- 1 packed cup arugula, chopped
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese (4 ounces)
Directions
For the ragu: Put the garlic, celery, onions and fennel in a food processor and puree to a coarse paste.
Coat a wide, deep pan with olive oil. Add the pureed veggies, season with salt and bring to medium-high heat. Cook the veggies until all the liquid has evaporated and they begin to stick to the pan - you want to brown the crap out of these guys until crud starts to form on the bottom of the pan. Stir occasionally to scrape up the brown bits, and then let the crud form again. Be patient here and don't rush it, this is where the big flavor develops; it will take up to 30 minutes.
When the lovely brown crud has formed and been scraped down a couple of times, add the tomato paste, stirring to combine. Let it start to brown a little and continue stirring for 2 to 3 minutes. There's not much liquid at this point to keep things from burning, so be careful and move fast. Add the wine, stir to combine and scrape up any remaining brown bits. Cook until about half the wine has evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes.
Add both the spicy and sweet sausage and, using a spoon to break it up, cook until the meat is brown (this is where another round of big brown flavors is formed, so take your time), 10 to 15 minutes.
Add enough water to the pan to cover the meat by about 1/2-inch. Stir to combine well, and then add the bay leaves and thyme bundle. Taste, season with salt and taste again; it's by no means done, but it should taste good. Bring the sauce to a boil (BTB) and reduce to a simmer (RTS). Continue cooking, checking occasionally, for 3 hours, tasting, seasoning and adding more water as needed.
For the pickled onions: In a medium bowl, combine the red wine vinegar with 1/2 cup cold tap water. Stir in the sugar, salt and hot sauce. Add the sliced onions and let sit for at least 1 hour.
To assemble: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. On a large platter, spread out a layer of tortilla chips. Spoon a layer of the ragu over the chips. Cover with a layer of Parmigianino and fontina cheeses. Place in the oven until the cheese melts, 5 to 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven, sprinkle a layer of arugula over the top and finish with a large dollop of mascarpone cheese. A gooey cheesy treat. Delish.
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By homechef4fun
on February 09, 2013
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This is amazing. I was hesitant based on the long cooking and intense browning, but the flavors are so intense and bright. I made the nachos as directed and loved the arugula and picked onion garnish. I also put this on a pizza. Layered ragu, cheeses, then after out of oven, dolloped with chipotle mascarpone which melted, then folks topped with arugula and picked onions once serving their slice. Well worth the time and attention needed, especially since I have some to freeze and pull out for a quick amazing appetizer or meal. THANKS Anne!
By gmartell
Toronto
on February 02, 2013
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I made a double batch of this for the gang coming over to watch football. SO tasty. It's a bit of an investment time-wise - but really, really good!
By RecipeJunkie8
St. Charles, IL
on February 02, 2013
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I was intrigued when I saw Anne make this on GMA and thought it would be a nice change for Game Day! The flavor is definitely good and while the recipe is not hard it is time-consuming. I must admit the technique is strange as I am not used to almost burning food to develop flavor but it works here. I did think it was unusual to add the sausage after the wine and paste as the recipe says but after rewatching it on GMA she did add the sausage first-otherwise you can't really see it brown! I made the sauce in advance so it is ready to assemble the nachos. I do like that aspect of it because who wants to be in the kitchen all day when you have company or are watching the game? I also used both sausages and it isn't too spicy. I think I might substitute 1 lb. of ground beef or turkey for one of the sausages next time to give it a different texture. Tip: many stores mistakenly refer to fennel as anise so if you can't find fennel for anise. It's worth a try!!
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