Short Rib Ragu with Homemade Pappardelle
Like Ina Garten Wrapping You Up In a Blanket
Ingredients
Ragu
3-4 lbs of bone in beef short ribs (depends on how meaty they are)
2-3 Tbsp Kosher Salt
5 oz diced pancetta
1 medium yellow onion - diced
2 large carrots - peeled and diced (about 1 C)
2 celery stalks - diced
2 garlic cloves - roughly chopped
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 C dry red wine
4 cups beef stock
2 bay leaves
A few sprigs of thyme
1-2 sprigs of rosemary
Salt and peper to taste
Homemade Pappardelle
1.5 C all purpose flour
0.5 C semolina flour
1/2 Tsp salt
2 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp Water
Garnish
Grated Parmesan
Preparation
Nothing makes your home smell better than having a ragu on the stove all day. The longer it cooks the better it gets…and it’s amazing the next day!
Start by trimming off excess fat from the short ribs and liberally seasoning with kosher salt (2-3 tbsp depending on size of beef but you dont really need to measure). Set this back in the refrigerator.
Place pancetta in a cold, large dutch oven. Place on medium heat and cook the pancetta until crispy (adding it to a cold pan renders out more of the fat). Remove with a slotted spoon and brown short ribs on all sides. Do this in batches if you need to.
Remove the short ribs and sauté the onion, carrot, and celery in the rendered fat until onion becomes translucent.
Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
Add tomato paste and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until tomato paste becomes a dark red (but not burnt).
Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a spoon or spatula. Let simmer for ~5 minutes or until volume reduces by half.
Add back the pancetta and short ribs, add the beef stock, bay leaves, thyme and rosemary (tie them together with kitchen twine for easy removal). The short ribs should be just about submerged, add water if you need more liquid.
Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and partially cover with a lid. Cook for 3-4 hour or until beef is tender and falls off the bone. Give it a stir every 45 minutes or so.
When the beef is tender, remove it from the dutch oven and place in a separate bowl. Remove and discard bay leaves, thyme and rosemary sprigs. Allow the beef to cool a bit and then remove the bones and shred the meat. Place the shredded meat back in the dutch oven and simmer for another 30 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
Once the ragu is finished, make your pasta. In a large bowl, combine flours, salt and whisk to combine. Dump out on a large surface and make a well in the middle.
Place the wet ingredients in the middle of the well and use a fork to whisk together. Once the wet ingredients are mixed, slowly incorporate some of the flour as you mix. Continue doing this until it becomes to sticky for the fork and you need to use your hands.
At this point, it’s time to get your hands dirty. Mix and flour and egg mixture together and knead for ~5-8 minutes. The dough should feel tacky at first but then become smooth and supple. Homemade pasta is all about feel. If it feels dry and crumbly, add a little water (1 tsp at a time) - if it feels wet and sticky, incorporate some more flour. This will all vary based on flour type, humidity, egg size, etc.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temp for 30 minutes. Then unwrap the dough, cut into 4 pieces and roll it out with whatever tool you have. The dough should be thin enough for light to pass though. Then cut into ~1 inch strips.
Bring water to a boil and boil your homemade pasta for ~2 minutes or until al dente. Transfer the pasta and 1/2 C of pasta water to your ragu and stir to coat the pasta.
Finish with some freshly grated parm and enjoy!