Sunday Supper: Braised Short Rib and Shitake Mushroom Pasta

Braised short ribs is one of my all time favorite meals.  This dish will take 45 minutes to prepare and about 3.5 hours to braise. There are many versions to this dish and you can use the short rib recipe below and add potatoes and vegetables as well. The shitake mushrooms are a perfect pair with a tender, fall off the bone, short short rib and this pasta sauce is simply delicious.

What you need: 
6 bone-in short ribs
48 oz. beef stock
1 bottle dry red wine
fresh thyme sprigs
1 XL T. tomato paste
2 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
3 carrots carrots
2 stalks celery
1 medium yellow onion
3 strips of bacon
2 T. flour
butter
pancetta
olive oil
shallot
shitake mushrooms
fresh basil
fresh parsley
fresh fettuccine pasta

What to Do:
This dish has some prep work that would be easier if it is done ahead of time.  Take your meat out and allow to rest while prepping the vegetables. Dice your onions, carrots and celery and place in a bowl. If your pancetta is not already cubed, cube and set aside. Slice the mushrooms and basil into slivers and mince your shallots then set aside. Finally, chop fresh parsley and set aside in a separate dish.

Over med-high heat, add 1 tbl. olive oil to a large dutch oven and bring to temp.  Prepare your short ribs by simply seasoning with salt and pepper and then add to the dutch oven to render the fat. You will want to sear each side for a minute or two getting a nice brown color. Add your bacon to the pot as well stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn.  Once you have browned all sides of the short ribs, remove the meat from pot and set aside.

Leaving the rendered fat in the pot, add celery, carrots and onion and saute over medium high heat for three minutes stirring often making sure to scrape the brown goodness from the bottom of the pot. Meanwhile, mince your garlic cloves and add to the vegetables. Stir in making sure not to burn the garlic. Add the extra large tablespoon of tomato paste and stir in mixing well. Pour in 3/4 bottle dry red wine over the vegetable mix and reduce down to less than 1/4c. This process will take some time. Preheat your oven to 275 degrees. Then add 48 oz. of beef stock, bay leaf, and thyme. Reduce that down by half. Now add the short ribs to the pot and put in the oven at 275 degrees for 3.5 hours.

To make the Sauce: 

After you have pulled the short ribs from the oven, begin making your mushroom sauce and boiling the water for your pasta. In a saute pan over medium heat, add 1 T. Olive oil, cubed pancetta, shallots and allow to become aromatic.

Reduce heat to low and begin making a roux by adding 2T. butter to a separate saute pan over medium heat. Click here to see a video on how to make a roux. Remove 1 1/2 cups of the braising liquid from your dutch oven and strain into a bowl. Slowly add your braising liquid to the roux until you reach the desired consistency for your sauce.

Depending on the noodle type you chose, cook according to the instructions until aldente. Fresh pasta only takes minutes to cook so judge your timing accordingly so your pasta remains hot. Add the mushrooms and basil and stir until soft. Then add a T. of butter to your sauce and allow for this to cook over medium heat for about five minutes.

Strain pasta (do not rinse) and plate noodles. Working quickly, carefully remove the short ribs one at a time from the dutch oven. They will be very tender and fall off the bone. Do your best to keep their shape in tact for the presentation. Place a short rib on top of the noodles and begin drizzling the Shitake mushroom sauce over the short rib and the noodles. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.