Beef Short Ribs With Rigatoni

Total Time: 3 hrs Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 8 beef short ribs, on the bone 1 1/2-inches thick and 4-inches long and meaty (about 4 pounds)
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 lb pancetta, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 cup fennel, diced
• 16 baby carrots
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 ounces portabella mushrooms, sliced into strips
• 2/3 cup red wine
• 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 28 ounces crushed plum tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 lb rigatoni pasta
• grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, for sprinkling

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 350°f
• 2 heat the olive oil in a large stovetop-to-oven-to-tabletop casserole, 12 by 2 inches deep. (i love my le creuset.)
• 3 rub the ribs with salt and pepper and brown them in batches. do not crowd the ribs or they will steam instead of brown. as they brown, transfer them to a dish.
• 4 if there is a lot of fat in the pan, drain off most of it, leaving about 2 tablespoons. brown the pancetta; stir in the onions, fennel, and carrots and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
• 5 stir in the garlic and cook 2 minutes.
• 6 stir in the mushrooms and cook 2 minutes more.
• 7 raise the heat to high and pour in 1/3 cup of the wine. cook until the wine almost evaporates, about 3 minutes.
• 8 stir in the red pepper flakes and oregano.
• 9 combine the remaining wine, tomatoes and balsamic vinegar in a bowl; mix well, then pour over the ribs.
• 10 cover the pan tightly with a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil and then a cover and bake for 2 hours or until the ribs are tender.
• 11 adjust the sauce seasoning if necessary.
• 12 remove the ribs to a cutting board; trim the meat away from the bone and connective tissue into small pieces and return the meat to the pan.
• 13 discard the bones and connective tissue. keep the ragu warm while the rigatoni cooks.
• 14 bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil; add 1 tablespoon of salt and the rigatoni. cook until the rigatoni is al dente.
• 15 drain the rigatoni and return it to the pot.
• 16 ladle some of the ragu sauce over the rigatoni and mix well. transfer the rigatoni to a platter and pour the ragu over the pasta. or mix the pasta directly in the casserole dish.
• 17 serve with grated parmigiano reggiano sprinkled over the top.