Braised Beef Short Rib Ragu

This recipe can also be made with pork country style ribs. Either way, the ragu may get a little fatty as it percolates in the oven. You can skim off the excess fat from the surface and discard it before you add the pasta or just mix it all back into the ragu because YOU ARE AN ADULT AND DESERVE SOME INDULGENCE DAMMIT. That's what statins are made for.

Yolo.

4 lbs beef short ribs

3 TB olive oil, divided

3 large carrots, peeled and diced

1 large yellow onion, finely diced

1 stalk celery, finely diced

8 cloves garlic, minced

6 oz tomato paste

1 cup dry red wine

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

12 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1 parmesan rind

14 oz crushed tomatoes

2 cups low sodium beef broth

salt and pepper, to taste

24 oz pasta of choice (we used mafaldine because we be fancy)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In large, heavy bottomed pot (like a Dutch oven), heat olive oil over medium high heat.

Pat the ribs dry as much as possible. Season them generously with s & p. Add the ribs to the pot and brown them on all sides (about 4 minutes per side). Work in batches, if necessary, to avoid overcrowding the pot. Transfer the ribs to a plate and set it aside.

Drain off all but 2 TB of fat from the pot. Lower the heat to medium and add the carrots, onion, and celery, along with 1 tsp each of s & p. Sauté for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deeply browned.

Add the garlic to the pot and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir to coat the vegetables. Cook another 2-3 minutes.

Increase the heat back to medium high and add the wine to the pot, stirring constantly to scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom. Cook about 4 minutes until the wine is almost completely absorbed.

Add the herbs (you can tie them together with some kitchen twine or just fish them out individually at the end of the cooking) and the parmesan rind. Add the crushed tomatoes, stock, and short ribs. Stir to combine everything and bring it to a boil.

Place the pot in the oven and cook it for 2.5 - 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the ribs are fall apart tender. If the ragu gets too thick, add a splash of water.

Take the ribs out of the sauce and transfer them to a cutting board. Remove the herbs and rind from the sauce. Using 2 forks, shred the ribs into bite sized pieces and discard the bones. Return the shredded meat to the pot and stir to combine.

Cook the pasta until al dente, according to the package instructions. Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.

Bring the ragu to a simmer over medium heat, stir in the heavy cream and grated parmesan. Add the cooked pasta to the ragu, tossing to coat. Add in some of the reserved pasta water if you need to loosen the ragu a little. Cook for 1-2 minutes so that everything can meld together.

Serve with more grated parmesan on top or some fresh basil.

we served this during an informal dinner party and stained all our placemats.