Linguini with a Braised Short Rib Ragout

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I love a great pasta dish, who doesn’t?  But when I add a few secret ingredients to my  Ragout like cinnamon and a beautiful “dark chocolate balsamic vinegar” I can’t believe how over the top this pasta dish can become.  Somehow the chocolate and the tomatoes come together to make a richness that your tongue just can’t make out what it is, but you know you have to have more of it.  The cinnamon seems to add just a kick to the underlying flavors as well.  You’ll find that there is a flavor explosion in your mouth with this dish.    One bit of advise.  Don’t rinse your pasta once you cook and drain it.  The starches on the pasta will help hold the sauce to it.  If you find your sauce a bit thick, you can always use a bit of the pasta water to thin it out, but don’t over do it.

I hope y’all enjoy this one.  I know we did.

Ingredients

• 2 tbl olive oil
• 4 lbs beef short ribs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 2 cups  red wine  (Full Bodied)
• 1, 28 oz can of whole, peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand with their juices
• 1-2 cups beef stock
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 2 Tbl basil, chopped
• 4 Tbl rosemary, chopped
• 2 Tbl oregano, chopped
• 1 Tbl cinnamon
• 3 Tbl dark chocolate balsamic  vinegar *

• 1/2 lb Linguine pasta (or truly, any other wide, thin noodle)
• Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

* I used a dark chocolate balsamic  vinegar that I purchased locally from Joe And Sons Olive Oils, you could easily substitute 1 oz of dark chocolate (chopped up)  instead if you can’t find the dark chocolate balsamic  vinegar locally.  Just add the dark chocolate to the sauce when you add the tomatoes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the olive oil.  Season your ribs with salt and pepper and add them to the pot cooking them over high heat until deep brown all on sides. This should take about 15 minutes total. Don’t over crowd the pan.  Do this in batches so the ribs don’t steam, and they can brown very well on all sides.  This is definitely where the flavor comes into play.  Remove the ribs to a plate and cover with foil.

Now add the carrots, onion, celery and garlic to the pan and cook over high heat until browned and softened, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the red wine, tomatoes, beef stock, thyme, basil, rosemary, cinnamon and oregano, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge the brown bits.  Again, those brown bits are where the flavor is, don’t miss out on them.

Bring the mixture to a boil then add the browned short ribs. Cover with a lid and place in the oven. Check every hour to ensure the liquid is just to the top of the meat. If not, you can add additional beef stock or water as necessary.

Cook your ribs for about 2 1/2 hours, or until the ribs are falling off the bones. When done, remove ribs from the pan and set aside.  Place Dutch oven on a burner and skim any of the fat off of the top. Heat over a medium heat until mixture is simmering and reduce by 1/4 to 1/2.

Remove and discard thyme stems.

While our sauce is reducing, remove the rib meat from the bones, discarding fat and tendons.  Shred the meat with two forks and add  to the reduced braising liquid and stir to combine. Add the Dark Chocolate Balsamic  vinegar, and reduce heat to low.

Now bring a large pan of water to a boil and add your pasta.  Cook as directed then drain.   Add your pasta to the ragout mixture and gently  toss together.  Pour into a serving bowl and top with grated parmigano-reggiano cheese.