I think it takes an intimate relationship with a butcher to make sense of British cuts of meat, as they are often not the same as American ones. A British butcher does not know what the heck you are talking about if you march in and ask for some short ribs or tri-tip. So, I think Bacon is onto something here. Especially since one day, Bacon called to announce, "Neil gave me a ton of those Jacob's Ladders. You should take some." (Jacob's Ladder, incidentally, is a rack of Short Ribs. We finally figured that out, after getting various cuts from the cow. I even once tried to explain to Neil which ribs I wanted, demonstrating on my own body. It was slightly embarrassing to stand in the middle of a local butcher shop and have 3 butchers in bloody aprons watching me point to my own torso over and over again. And even more annoying to come home with the wrong cut, revealing that perhaps I stink at Butcher Charades.)
Bacon's wife, Dr. Tex, doesn't seem to mind. After all, she gets to eat lots of tasty meals (although she's not as into meat as her husband. Few are.) So now that Bacon and I have all of these short ribs, the challenge is finding the recipes that best showcase this lovely, inexpensive cut of meat. It's a good value, even for those of you who aren't in love with your local butcher!
Penne With Short Ribs, by Giada DeLaurentiis
Ingredients
- 4 pounds beef short ribs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 5 Roma tomatoes, cut into eighths
- 1 cup red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon (or 1 cup chicken or beef broth, see Note below)
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions
Place an oven rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Season the ribs with salt and pepper. In a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or ovenproof stock pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. In batches, add the ribs and brown on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the ribs and set aside. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, wine and mustard. Bring the mixture to a boil and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Return the ribs to the pan. Add the beef broth, cover the pan and place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours until the meat is fork-tender and falls easily from the bone.
Remove the ribs from the cooking liquid. Using a large spoon, remove any excess fat from the surface of the cooking liquid. Using a ladle, transfer the cooking liquid in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and keep warm over low heat. Remove the meat from the bones. Discard the bones. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into small pieces. Stir the shredded meat into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and place in a large serving bowl. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the sauce and add to the pasta. Pour 1 cup of the sauce over the pasta. Toss well and thin out the pasta with more sauce, if needed. Sprinkle the pasta with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley before serving.
Note: I substituted 1 cup of chicken broth for the 1 cup of wine because I didn't think my kids would like the flavor of the wine. The substitution worked out fine, although it meant that the acid level of the braising sauce wasn't that high, which meant that the ribs didn't break down as much as they otherwise would. To shred the meat, I had to take it off in big chunks with two forks, then chop it up really small with a chef's knife. The meat chopped up very easily because it was still pretty tender. Then, I stirred the chopped meat back into the sauce and let it sit for a couple of minutes so that the meat would absorb the sauce. After that, I put in the pasta, tossed to combine, and topped with the parsley and cheese.
