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Short Ribs Ragù Pasta served in a flat plate with tender meat and rich tomato sauce.
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Short Ribs Ragù Pasta

This short rib ragu is pure comfort. Tender, fall-apart meat and silky pappardelle come together to create the most satisfying pasta dish you will ever make. The sauce starts with humble ingredients, a simple soffritto, fresh herbs, tomatoes, and a splash of bold red wine. After a long, slow cook, these everyday ingredients transform into a flavour-packed sauce. The meat becomes so soft it almost melts like butter, and the sauce is so delicious you could devour it straight from the pot. It coats the pappardelle perfectly, giving you that dreamy mix of shredded short ribs meat, pasta, and sauce. It feels like eating a beautifully braised steak that melts in your mouth, wrapped in a velvety tomato sauce. Elegant enough to impress at a weekend gathering, yet simple enough to prepare any day of the week. Once the pot is simmering, all you need to do is let it gently cook for hours while your kitchen fills with the most wonderful aroma. The best part is, the leftovers are even better.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings 10 people

Equipment

  • Stick Blender
  • Dutch Oven
  • Tongs
  • wooden spoon
  • Kitchen String / twine
  • Forks
  • Potato masher (optional)
  • Large pot (for boiling pasta)
  • Large pan

Ingredients

  • 2 kg /70.50oz beef short ribs
  • 1 small celery stick
  • 1 medium carrot
  • ¼ brown onion
  • 1.6 kg / 56.4 oz Italian peeled tomatoes about 4 small cans
  • A fresh bunch of oregano and thyme
  • Dry red wine Cabernet, Shiraz, or Chianti
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil EVOO
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Pasta of your choice allow about 100 g / 3.5 oz per person

Instructions

  • Break the carrot and celery into small pieces with your hands. Add them to the blender along with the onion and a splash of water. Blend until you have a smooth, thick paste with no chunks and set it aside.
  • Place a Dutch oven over medium heat and add 3–4 tablespoons of EVOO. Season the short ribs with salt on both sides. When the pot is hot, lay the ribs inside, add a touch more salt, and sear them for a short time on each side until well browned. Lift them out and set aside.
  • Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the blended vegetable mixture to the same pot to start deglazing. Pour in a tiny splash of water from the blender to rinse out any leftover soffritto and mix it through. Stir and let it cook for about 5 minutes.
  • While the soffritto cooks, blend the peeled tomatoes for about 10 seconds until smooth.
  • After 5 minutes of cooking soffritto, return the seared ribs to the pot. Use your tongs to turn them and coat them well in the vegetable mixture.
  • Pour in 1 standard glass of dry red wine. Let it cook for about five minutes, gently moving the meat and scraping the bottom of the pan so the alcohol evaporates and the flavour settles into the meat.
  • While waiting for wine to evaporate, tie the thyme and oregano together with kitchen string.
  • After 5 minutes, turn the ribs over and pour in the blended tomatoes. Gently move the meat so the sauce settles all the way to the bottom. Season with salt and pepper, then submerge the herb bundle. A sprig of rosemary is a great addition too if you have any.
  • Place the lid on and let the sauce simmer slowly for 3 hours. Every 30–45 minutes, open the lid and turn the ribs so they cook evenly.
  • After 3 hours, remove the herbs. The meat should be soft and coming away from the bone. Discard bones and stir the sauce, scraping up anything at the bottom.
  • Turn off the heat. Shred the meat with two forks, or gently mash some of it with a potato masher, leaving a few larger pieces for texture.

Combining with Pasta

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of sea salt.
  • Fresh pasta cooks very quickly. Cook pasta for about 2 minutes (if fresh) or until al dente according to packet instructions for dry packet pasta.
  • Warm the amount of sauce you plan to use in a separate large fry pan. If any pieces are too large, break them down a little. You can also remove some fat if you prefer.
  • Transfer the pasta straight from the pot into the pan, letting a little pasta water drip in. Keep 1 cup of pasta water aside in case you need to loosen the sauce. Toss gently with tongs until every strand or piece of pasta is coated beautifully.

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