Braised Short Rib & Mushroom Sauce over Pappardelle

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs bone-in beef short ribs, seasoned with kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 8 oz whole cremini mushrooms, quartered
  • 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
  • 4 sprigs fresh parsley (see note)
  • 10 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh tarragon
  • 2 cups red wine (like pinot noir or cabernet sauvignon)
  • 8 oz pappardelle pasta (see note) [Can substitute with Mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower]

How To:

  1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Brown the short ribs in the pot for about 5-7 minutes on each side. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
  2. Add the butter to the pot and once it’s melted add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Cook the vegetables for about ten minutes, stirring frequently. Add the salt, pepper, and sprinkle the flour over the top of the veggies. Stir to coat them in the flour and add the tomatoes, parsley, thyme, and tarragon. Add the wine and stir to combine. Place the short ribs back in the pot and add enough water to the pot so that they’re covered (I used 2.5 cups of water, but depending on your pot you may need a little more or less).
  3. Bring the pot to a boil. Turn the heat off and cover the pot with a lid slightly askew to allow steam to escape. Transfer the pot to the oven for 3-4 hours, or until the short ribs shred easily with a fork.
  4. Remove the short ribs from the pot, and de-bone/shred. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the sauce into a large bowl removing all the vegetables from the pot. Press on the vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible before discarding. Pour the strained liquid back into the pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Adjust the heat to medium to maintain a strong simmer for thirty minutes or until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. While the sauce reduces, cook the pasta according to package directions.
  5. Shred the short ribs and place them back in the sauce. At this point, taste the sauce and add more salt if you think it needs it. Simmer for a few minutes to warm the beef through. Serve with the pasta.

Notes:

Because you will strain the sauce there’s no need to chop the parsley or thyme. You can toss them in the sauce, stems and all.

You can substitute pappardelle linguine or fettuccine instead… or even mashed potatoes or cauliflower for a gluten-free option!