Beef Short Rib Ragu - The Recipe
Comforting, packed full of umami flavours and always hits the spot...
Beef Short Rib Ragu served with fresh homemade pappardelle pasta is one of those dishes that never fails to impress. It is comforting, packed full of flavour and always hits the spot. Whether it is a dinner party or a cosy night in at the weekend, this is a lovely and indulgent meal to make, no matter the occasion
In my opinion, this recipe sums up what a perfectly balanced ragu should be:
Umami packed and rich: The caramelisation of the beef short ribs and their rendered fat, the secret addition of porcini mushrooms blended into a powder for a wonderful added depth and the slight caramelisation of the vegetables, specifically the fennel, for a delicious yet subtle aniseed hint it brings to the dish.
Bright fresh flavours: The amazing quality of Mutti tinned tomatoes and puree allow for the tomato flavour to shine through beautifully, with a subtle acidity, whilst not being too overbearing as some tinned tomatoes can so often be. The chianti (a classic match for a rich ragu such as this) lends itself to a fruity tang, whilst yet again not overbearing the dish but instead simply balancing out the richness of the beef.
Perfect Textures: All too often pasta dishes can be too soft and have very little varying textures. With most ingredients in these dishes being so soft, it may seem like this isn't possible, however you certainly can still achieve a balance of textures within this realm of “soft” ingredients. The rich ragu here adds a wonderful silkiness to the dish, and with some bits of the meat being more caramelised than the others the texture in each bite is never the same. Some parts might be softer, some might be fattier and melt in your mouth and some may have a little more bite (whilst still being incredibly tender). Paired with the slightly al dente fresh pasta (achieved by using some semolina instead of solely Tipo 00 ) this meal has a beautiful assortment of textures.
Essential Ingredients Explained
Beef Short Ribs: The star of the show. Full of fats, goes beautifully tender, and allows for the perfect texture when pulled apart. Alternative: beef shoulder cut (aka “chuck” or often labelled as “braising steak”)
Beef short ribs Fennel: Swapping this in, instead the traditional ingredient of celery in the mirepoix, fennel allows for further depth of flavour and a subtle aniseed flavour that works incredibly well. Alternative: celery
Porcini Mushrooms: This unexpected ingredient brings an incredible umami-ness to the dish. You don't taste the mushrooms in the final ragu, but you do notice that added depth of flavour in it. A win win for those who don’t like mushrooms! Alternative: any other dried mushrooms, or a few fresh mushrooms which can removed from final sauce at end.
Porcini mushroom powder Quality beef stock: As with most sauces, the quality of stock is detrimental to the quality of the sauce. Thankfully this sauce is packed full of a lot of other flavours, therefore if you can’t get a fresh stock, a good quality jelly will do. Alternative: chicken or lamb stock
Red wine: Chianti is my personal pick for this dish, based off the fact it goes well as a drinks pairing for this rich ragu when eating it. A wine suitable for cooking is any wine you’d drink by itself. It doesn't need to be fancy. As long as you like it, you’re good to go. Alternative: dry white wine or splash of vinegar if you can’t have alcohol
Tinned tomatoes: This is the one ingredient that I always prioritise in getting the best quality I can. If you need to cut costs for a recipe like this, go for a cheaper cut of meat, but I would highly recommend always spending that extra tiny bit for better quality tinned tomatoes - Mutti is the gold standard for me when it comes to this. Why? The cheaper tinned tomatoes are often harvested and canned outside of their prime ripeness, with worse quality soil and growing environments, in turn leading to very acidic and sometimes even bitter flavours which can change a dish entirely and really limit its potential.
Parmesan rind: The trick of adding a parmesan rind is one I’ll never forget, having learnt this a few years ago. It adds a nutty richness to the dish that you can’t get without, so use it if you have one, use it. If you don’t, you’ll be ok without, but make sure to save any future left over rinds for dishes like this - they freeze well!
Tipo 00 flour / Semolina Flour: The perfect blend of flours for achieving a delicious al dente bite in the fresh pasta. If you can’t access semolina, this can be don with just Tipo 00 pasta flour by itself.
So, let’s move onto the recipe…