Julia Busuttil Nishimura’s beef short-rib ragu

April 27, 2023

Serve this ragu with pasta (mezze maniche, pictured) or polenta.William Meppem

Time:2 hours +Serves:4-6

The cooler weather calls for slow braises and hearty meals, such as this ragu made with beef short ribs. As it cooks, the meat becomes rich and unctuous, creating an intensely flavoured sauce. Here, I’ve chosen mezze maniche, a short, tubular pasta similar to rigatoni – but half the size – to stir through the ragu. Rigatoni and tagliatelle also work beautifully – or you could go with creamy polenta if you really want to dial up the comfort factor. Be sure to buy ribs that are well-marbled and meaty.

Ingredients

400g mezze maniche or pasta of your choice
grated parmigiano reggiano, to serve

For the short-rib ragu

1.2kg beef short ribs, cut into 5cm blocks
sea salt and black pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves
250ml (1 cup) dry red wine
800g canned whole peeled tomatoes
400ml chicken or beef stock
2 fresh bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh oregano
handful of basil leaves

Method

Step 1
Season the ribs with salt and set aside.
Step 2
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a high heat and brown the ribs on all sides. Transfer the ribs from the saucepan to a plate. Drain most of the fat from the saucepan so you’re left with
about 2 tablespoons.
Step 3
Reduce the heat to low and add the onion, celery, carrot and a pinch of salt and saute for 10-15 minutes until softened and beginning to caramelise, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Pour in the wine and simmer for a minute or two, scraping the base of the saucepan with a wooden spoon. Add the canned tomatoes, stock, bay leaves and oregano. Bring to the boil, return the ribs to the saucepan, then reduce the heat to low and half cover with a lid. Cook for 3 to 4 hours until the meat is tender and falling away from the bone.
Step 4
Remove the ribs from the sauce and shred the meat, discarding any bones. Return the meat to the sauce, along with the basil leaves.
Step 5
Simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes until slightly reduced. Remove and discard the bay leaves and oregano stems, season to taste and keep the ragu warm over a low heat while you cook the pasta.
Step 6
Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water for two minutes less than stated on the packet. Increase the heat under the saucepan containing the ragu to medium-high and, using a sieve, scoop the pasta directly from the water into the ragu. Continue cooking until the pasta is al dente.
Step 7
If the sauce becomes too dry as the pasta finishes cooking, ladle a little of the pasta cooking water into the ragu to help loosen it.
Step 8
Serve with plenty of grated parmigiano reggiano.