Recipe: Wine Braised, Boneless Short Rib Ragu, Allergen-Free

Photo courtesy of Zach Nelson

This is my first attempt at altering my wine-braised allergen-free short rib recipe for more of a tomato-y ragu for pasta. It turned out pretty darn yummy; the meat was soft and luscious and made a velvety sauce just barely covering the gluten-free noodles! 

But truth be told, wine braised short ribs over anything are pretty darn yummy: steamed rice, roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes. You really can't go wrong. 

The recipe is mostly hands-off once you have the meat browned and the veg sauteed - all without buying special equipment (I'm looking at your Instant Pot; stop trying to get me to buy you!).

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Recipe: Short Rib Ragu, Allergen-Free

Ingredients
3-4 pounds boneless beef short ribs 
Kosher salt to taste 
1-2 T extra virgin olive oil (extra oil if needed for sautéing vegs)
1 yellow medium-sized onion, peeled and chopped OR 1 shallot
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
½ bottle 750-ml bottle good dry red wine 
2 cans of organic diced tomatoes and juice
2 T tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 t dried oregano
1 t thyme
water to barely cover ribs 


Method




1. Preheat oven to 350°F. While you’re prepping the vegetables, take the meat out of the fridge and let it come up to room temperature. 





2. Pat the meat dry. Season the rib meat on both sides with a generous pinch of Kosher salt. Heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed ovenproof pot over medium high heat. Add ribs and brown them on both sides. Work in batches so that the ribs aren't over-crowded.





3. Transfer the ribs to a plate. Use the fat that came off the ribs combined with the oil to sauté the carrots and onion on medium heat, until fragrant. Then add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute or until fragrant. Then add tomato paste  and stir together until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Add the wine, deglazing the pan, scraping off any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Boil the wine / veggie mixture for a few minutes or until slightly reduced and fragrant. 





4. Return the ribs and any juices to the pan. Add the two cans of tomatoes, and any additional water to make sure ribs are covered but not submerged. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat; cover with foil (or pot top) and place in the oven. Braise the meat, cooking in the oven, until the meat is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Take out the cooked meat, shred with a fork into luscious biteable hunks and set aside on a platter. Using fine mesh strainer over a large bowl, pour the sauce to strain, pressing all the veggies into the strainer. Return the strained sauce to the pot, with the shredded meat and warm through. Taste and adjust for seasonings. 

5. Boil salted water for pasta and cook the pasta. Once cooked, drain and combine with meat and sauce, mix, sprinkle some lovely freshly chopped parsley on top or parmesan, if you're so inclined.