Gin Braised Lamb Ragu

Slow braised lamb shoulder pairs great with a botanical forward gin in this tomato ragu with fresh tagliatelle! Why should vodka get all the fame when it comes to putting alcohol in tomato sauce? Gin has so much flavor, you would think people would use it in cooking more? Lamb has a stronger flavor that beef and can really go toe to toe with the strong flavors in gin! This dish is luscious and so comforting!

The inspiration for this recipe

The last time I visited Kennebunkport, ME I attended a gin class with Darren Case of Round Turn Distilling and Andrew Volk of Portland’s Hunt + Alpine Club. We learned about the history of gin, the types of gin, and how to make (and drink) a few really great gin cocktails. The class was a lot of fun, and I have been drinking more gin since then!

Wanting to branch out from just using gin in cocktails, I thought I would try cooking with it. I knew lamb would stand up to the strong flavors in gin, and I was really craving a slow braised dish, so the idea of gin braised lamb for a ragu was a no-brainier. Tomatoes, some onion and mushroom made a hearty sauce for fresh pasta. This was one of the best meals I have made in awhile!

Break down the lamb and get it into the oven

Start with an American lamb shoulder, the perfect cut of lamb for a slow braise. Chop it up into cubes

Onion, carrot, mushroom, garlic, gin, and a can of tomatoes make up the sauce. A pinch of rosemary and thyme also go a long way. Nothing crazy going on, just quality ingredients treated really well. Put this into the oven for about 4 hours, stirring every hour or so. After a while, the colors will get deep red and the lamb will shred. Then you know the gin braised lamb ragu is ready.

Making homemade tagliatelle

Meanwhile, time to make the pasta. Just roll out the sheets to the third thinnest setting, which is still pretty thick for pasta. If you don’t want to make homemade pasta for this dish, you can always substitute store bought. I would suggest the fresh store bought kind for a dish like this. If you have never made homemade pasta, you can use this post as a guide!

After the pasta is in sheets, roll it up with plenty of flour and slice it into rustic pappardelle. Drying it on a clean kitchen towel with plenty of flour is really important to the process. Fresh pasta only takes a few minutes to cook. Once it’s reached al dente, toss it right in with the lamb sauce.

Serving the gin braised lamb ragu

The lamb has basically melted into super tender shreds at this point, and the tomatoes and gin have thickened into a beautifully rich sauce that clings to the noodles.

A little parsley and pecorino cheese finish it off perfectly. The gin in this dish is subtle, but the earthy flavors pair well with the pasta and lamb. And as you take more and more bites (and trust me I went back for seconds) you start to notice that distinctive gin flavor.  If you happen to have a gin cocktail to pair with this, the flavors come out even more.

Twists and tips on gin braised lamb ragu

Like I mentioned, you could easily grab a store bought “fresh” pasta instead of making it. Or go ahead and use a dried pasta. Either way it will be really great, and the gin braised lamb ragu is so easy to make, why not make it a super easy dish overall.

You could also just pop all the ingredients into a slow cooker and call it a day.

If you love lamb like me, check out this Korean influenced lamb burger, my lamb bulgogi bolognese, or this amazing comforting lamb vindaloo French onion soup!