Short Ribs with Cognac Cream Ragu

Courtesy of Kristen Faith Eats

Short rib. Ragu. Cognac Cream sauce. My mouth was drooling the first time I laid eyes on this recipe. I absolutely love short ribs and the short rib falls right off the bone after simmering in the ragu sauce for hours. If you're like me and not a cognac drinker, using mini airplane bottles of cognac (because you only need 1/2 cup) made it a no brainer. However, if tracking down the cognac is too much of a pain, you could sub in bourbon, whiskey, or even omit it all together as I don't think it would change the composition of flavors. I topped this dish with fresh parsley, freshly grated parmesan and a good sprinkle of salt and red pepper flakes. My favorite noodle for a dish like this is Paccheri but our grocery store didn't have any on hand so the rigatoni was a great second option.

Ingredients:

3 lbs Bone-in Short Ribs

16 oz Paccheri/Rigatoni/Pappardelle

3 Carrots Finely Diced

1 Shallot Minced

1 Large Onion Diced

2 Celery Stalks Finely Diced

7 Garlic Cloves minced

2 Tbsp Tomato Paste

1/2 Cup Cognac

1 Cup Dry Red Wine (use something you would drink!)

28oz. Crushed Tomatoes

2 1/2 Cups Beef Broth/Stock

1 Parmesan Rind

2 Bay Leaves

3-6 Sprigs Thyme

2 Sprigs Rosemary

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

1/3 Cup Freshly Grated Parmigiano Reggiano

1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

2 Tbsp Butter

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Parsley and extra Parmigiano Reggiano for Garish

Directions:

Step 1: Pat short ribs dry with a paper towel. Season all sides of short ribs with salt and pepper. Let the meat sit at room temperature for ~30 minutes.

Step 2: In a dutch oven, add olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. On medium high heat, sear short ribs on all sides until a crust forms (3 minutes each side). Once all sides are seared remove from the pot and set aside.

Step 3: Drop the heat to medium low. Add a tablespoon of butter. Once melted add onions, carrot, and celery. Stir and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes until it starts to tenderize. Add shallots and garlic. Season with red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant and vegetables are soft.

Step 4: Add in tomato paste. Stir. Cook 2-3 minutes until paste is no longer bright red. Drop the heat to low. Add in cognac. Raise the heat back up to simmer and cook out the alcohol. Once reduced by half add in Red Wine. Simmer and reduce by 75%.

Step 5: Add in Crushed tomatoes and beef stock. Drop in Parmesan Rind and bring to a simmer. Once at a simmer add in the seared short ribs, herbs and bay leaves. Cover and let simmer on the stove top for 3 hours.

Step 6: Skim off any excess fat laying on the top of the sauce. Once bones are easy to slide off of short ribs, remove and shred the meat. Remove herbs and parmesan rind. Add meat back in. Simmer with the lid of for ~20 Minutes while you cook your pasta, this helps to thicken up the sauce. Add in 1/2 C of cream. Stir and continue to simmer for 3-4 Minutes.

Step 7: Add in cooked pasta, a ladle of pasta water, knob of butter and parmesan cheese. Stir until combined.