The secret to turning a bargain cut into melt-in-your-mouth delicious? The Star’s Beef and Fennel Ragu uses a slow cooker — an inexpensive, time-saving appliance no modern kitchen should be ...

Sauté until the sausage is brown on the outside but still pink in the center, then add half the ground fennel and half the red-pepper flakes. When the sausage pieces are just cooked through ...