Instructions

• Use a traditional covered enamel roasting pan.
• Brown the floured meat thoroughly in batches so it develops a dark crust without crowding.
• Build the sauce from the browned residue in the pan.
• Remove browned meats set aside. Add vegetables and cook a few minutes. Add tomato paste. Deglaze with mushroom liquid and water. Add everything else to the pan except olives until about 1 hour to cook. Return meat to pan with any juices that may run off.
• Braise gently in the oven with the lid on until all three meats are tender.
• Simmer the unpitted olives separately in fresh water, drain them, and stir them into the ragout only during the final portion of cooking. I personally discussed this with Tata. She said she did it to get rid of a lot of the saltiness of the olive brine.
• Note: Onion, carrot, celery, mushrooms with their liquid, tomato paste, beef bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaf create a thick brown-red sauce.
• Note: Giant green olives with their pits are simmered separately in fresh water to remove excess salt, drained, and added toward the end so they remain firm.
• Note: Traditionally served over mashed potatoes.
• Note: Do not add the olives at the beginning.
• Note: The finished sauce should be thick enough to spoon over mashed potatoes, not thin like soup.
• Note: Illustration just for fun. Not representative of Tata's Ragout!