short rib ragu with herbed breadcrumbs

I LOVE short rib ragu!

I’ve made this a ton of times during quarantine and even though the weather is warming up, I was craving this the other weekend and remixed my normal recipe.

For more depth of flavor and pumping up the umami, I added anchovies and tomato paste to my ragu. Don’t sleep on anchovies in tomato based sauces! It’s the secret ingredient!

I know the weather is breaking and it’s starting to get a little nice out but I’m still a sucker for comfort food and especiallyyyyyy pasta lol! I treated myself and made homemade cavatelli for my pasta and it was everything and more. By all means if you don’t want to do make homemade pasta, store bought is just as fine! Try it below and let me know what you think!

Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

• 1-2 lb short rib (bone in)
  1/2 large red onion, finely chopped (if a large onion, use half)⁣
  1 carrot, finely chopped⁣
  2 celery stalks, finely chopped⁣

• 1 roasted head of garlic (instructions below)⁣
  1/2 cup red wine (I like Cabernet Sauvignon)
  3 anchovies (packed in oil)
  3-4 sprigs of rosemary ⁣
  1 can steamed whole plum tomatoes (crushed with your hands)⁣

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  salt & pepper, to taste⁣
  1/2 lb cavatelli pasta ⁣or you can use any type of pasta you want (half the box)

  
  Herbed Breadcrumbs

• 1/2 cup bread panko bread crumbs, regular bread crumbs or an old 1/2 loaf of sourdough bread (if using an old loaf add it to an food processor to make bread crumbs)

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  ⁣
  Directions ⁣
  Pre-heat oven to 350, cut off the head of garlic to expose some of the garlic cloves. drizzle with olive oil and wrap tightly in foil. let roast in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. Let cool (after the garlic is roasted you can easily squeeze them out of its casing)⁣

  
  Season your short rib generously with salt & pepper. Set aside for at least 2-4 hours ⁣

  
  In a deep oven safe pan (a dutch oven is perfect for this) with extra virgin olive oil on medium high heat, sear the short rib on each side for 3 min. Set aside ⁣

  
  Lower the heat to medium & in the same pan, add the anchovies and let them melt down, about 1-2 minutes.

• Then add the onions. Be sure to scrap up all the good bits of the short ribs - that’s all the flavor! Sauté until onions are soft, about 4-5 min. season with salt & pepper .

• Add in the carrots and celery and sauté until soft, about 5-6 minutes. Season with salt & pepper. Squeeze in 4-5 of the roasted garlic cloves.

• Add in the tomato paste and let the paste cook, the color will go from a bright bread to a dark rich red. Be careful not to let it burn but let it cook for about 1 minute.

  
  Add in the tomatoes, red wine and freshly chopped rosemary and bring it to a simmer then add in the short rib.⁣
  Add the dutch oven into your oven and let it cook for about 3 hours (depending on how big your short ribs are). ⁣
  Note - if you think the sauce is reduced too much, add some water (I like a chunky thick sauce so I add little water to keep the texture)⁣

  
  Once short ribs are done & tender , remove from sauce and separate the meat from the bone and add back into the sauce. Stir to combine!

• Boil water and cook your pasta according to box instructions for al dente. ⁣

  
  Add the pasta with 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water into the short rib ragu and stir to combine.⁣
  

Herbed Breadcrumbs

• In a small sauté pan, add the unsalted butter and let it melt until it starts to foam. Add the garlic and let sauté for 1 minute, careful not to let it burn.

• Add in the bread crumbs, stirring occasionally and let them get nice and toasty for about 3-4 minutes.

• Remove from the heat and add on a paper towel to drain the butter and let it cool.

• Once breadcrumbs are cooled, add in the parsley and parmesan cheese!

  Serve over pasta & enjoy!