Tyler Florence Short Rib Ragu With Pappardelle Food

BISTRO-STYLE SHORT RIBS

Steps:

• Preheat a cast iron grill or outdoor grill.
• Season the short ribs with salt and pepper, drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil, and brown on all sides.
• Place the onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and tomato into a food processor and blend until you reach a consistent, smooth pulp.
• Take a large Dutch oven and place over medium-high heat. Add a 3-count of extra-virgin olive oil and add the thyme to infuse the oil. Next add the vegetable pulp, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook for about 10 minutes. Pour in the red wine and stock and bring it to a boil. Using tongs take the ribs and nestle them into the braising mix; the liquid should just about cover the meat. Place the lid loosely on top, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the meat is very tender, approximately 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• When the ribs are about finished, remove about 1 to 2 cups of liquid and strain into a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Heat the sauce until slightly reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes.

SHORT RIB RAGU WITH DRUNKEN PAPPARDELLE

Steps:

• Adding wine-steeped pasta to the leftover wine-braised beef ragu is super-intense.
• Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the carrots, onions, celery, garlic and season with salt, and pepper. Cook until very tender, then stir in the tomato paste, stock, short rib meat, and braising sauce. Heat through, then cool completely and store for make-ahead meal. Skim the fat and reheat, covered, over medium heat.
• While the sauce reheats, bring 5 to 6 cups of water to a boil with 1 bottle red wine. Add the pasta and cook to al dente. Drain the pasta and toss with sauce to coat, then top with Pecorino cheese and chopped parsley.

NEAPOLITAN RAGU

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Set a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add a 3-count of olive oil and gently brown the meatballs. Meanwhile, with a mortar and pestle, grind the salt, black peppercorns and fennel seeds with some olive oil into a grainy paste. Rub the ribs and shoulder with the mixture.
• Remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. In the same pot, brown the shoulder pieces and ribs, in batches. Alternately to save time, roast the ribs in a preheated 500 degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes while you brown the shoulder pieces in the pot.
• Remove the shoulder pieces and ribs to the meatball plate and let rest.
• Add a little more olive oil to the pot and add the thyme, oregano, carrots, onion and celery. Stir it around and scrape up the bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Cook the vegetables until they are slightly softened and have some nice color. Add the wine, tomatoes and tomato paste and mix well, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom. Nestle the pork shoulder pieces back into the middle of the pot then arrange the ribs around the sauce. Finish by placing the meatballs in the gaps (some of the pieces will be sticking out from the sauce but that's perfectly fine as it will roast and caramelize). Use a spoon to baste everything well, cover, then put the pot into the oven and roast until the pork is tender and the meat is just falling off the rib bones, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• For the topping: Combine the chopped raisins, toasted pine nuts and parsley in a small bowl.
• Use a slotted spoon to remove the meatballs and ribs to a large platter. Remove the pork shoulder pieces from the pot and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing into bite-size pieces and adding them to the platter. Puree the sauce in a food processor then add it back to the pot and set over medium heat. Reduce the sauce until it is rich and thick, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. When the spaghetti is cooked, drain and add to a medium bowl. Spoon a little sauce over the spaghetti and the remaining sauce over the platter of meat. Garnish the meat platter with the raisin mixture and serve.
• Heat 3 tablespoons oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and parsley and cook until the vegetables are soft but not colored, about 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let the mixture cool.
• Add the bread to a medium bowl and pour in the milk. Let the bread soak while the onions are cooling. Combine the meats in a large bowl. Add the egg and cheese and season generously with salt and pepper. Use your hands to squeeze the excess milk out of the bread and add it to the bowl along with the cooled onion mixture. Gently combine all the ingredients with your hands until just mixed together. Don't overwork the mixture or the meatballs will be tough. Divide the mixture into 8 equal pieces and shape them into 8 nice looking meatballs. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

SHORT RIBS RAGU WITH PAPPARDELLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Place a 5-quart flameproof casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add vegetable oil, and heat until it is very hot but not yet smoking. Sprinkle short ribs generously with salt and pepper. Working in batches if necessary to keep the short ribs from touching at all during this crucial browning step, add short ribs to the hot oil (they should sizzle the moment they hit the pan). Cook ribs until well browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low if necessary to keep the ribs from overbrowning; do not rush this step. Remove ribs from casserole, and transfer to a large bowl. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, prepare bouquet garni: Place bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, and parsley in the center of a square of cheesecloth. Bring edges together, and tie with kitchen string. Set bouquet garni aside.
• Add carrots, celery, onion, and shallots to oil in the casserole, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and golden, about 10 minutes.
• Add flour and tomato paste to the casserole, and stir to combine. Deglaze the pan: Add ruby port; stir with wooden spoon until all browned bits have been scraped from the pan and the bottom of the casserole is clean. Add red wine, and simmer until the liquid is reduced by a third, 10 to 12 minutes. Add garlic, beef stock, and the reserved bouquet garni.
• Return browned ribs to the casserole. Bring the liquid to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover the casserole, and place it in the oven. Cook until ribs are very tender, about 3 1/2 hours.
• Remove the cooked ribs from the casserole. Set the casserole on the stove top over medium heat, and simmer to thicken sauce just slightly. As soon as the short ribs are cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones, and shred into small pieces. (If you like, you can leave the meat on the bone for serving, too.) Discard any fat not rendered during cooking, and discard the bouquet garni. Return shredded meat to casserole, and simmer to reduce sauce by about half, until sauce is of desired ragu consistency, about 10 minutes.
• Fill a large pot with water. Set over high heat, and bring to a boil. Salt well, and stir in pasta. Cook until pasta is al dente, following manufacturer's instructions. Drain pasta, and serve with short-rib ragu.

SLOW-COOKER SHORT RIB RAGU OVER PAPPARDELLE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown meat in batches. Transfer meat to a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker. Add mushrooms, onion, carrots and bay leaves. , In the same skillet, add tomato paste, wine, garlic and seasonings. Cook and stir over medium heat until fragrant and slightly darkened, 2-4 minutes. Stir in diced tomatoes until blended. Transfer mixture to slow cooker; cover. Cook on low until beef is tender, 7-9 hours. Discard bay leaves., Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Serve ragu over pasta. If desired, serve with Parmesan cheese.