Thomas McNaughton's Braised Short Ribs with Pasta
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Ingredients
The Braise
  • 2 lbs bone-in short ribs
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 carrots, cut into 3-inch chunks
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 2½ celery stalks, cut into 3-inch chunks
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1½ cups red wine
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ¼ bunch thyme
  • ½ spring rosemary
  • 1 lb dried casarecce (penne would also work well)
To finish
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • 2 tsp sherry vinegar
  • parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. In a large pot, heat olive oil until almost smoking. Add short ribs and sear on all sides until deeply browned, about 15 minutes. Remove short ribs and set aside.
  2. Add the carrots, onion, and celery to the pan and cook until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes, then add garlic and cook another minute. Add tomato paste and cook a minute more, then pour in the red wine, and cook it down until it is almost gone.
  3. Return the short ribs to the pan and add chicken stock, bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary. Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook several hours, until the meat is falling off the bone.
  4. Allow the short ribs to cool in the braising liquid, then pick the meat from the bone and tear it into pieces. Remove the vegetables and chop into small pieces. Add the meat and vegetables back to the braising liquid, and refrigerate if not using right away. (You may also wish to skim some of the excess fat from the pot at this stage.)
  5. To finish: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; bring the pot with the short ribs to a simmer. Cook the pasta about 80 percent through, then drain and add it to the simmering short ribs along with the butter. Cook until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Add the sherry vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
The original recipe called for one half onion; I used a whole onion and liked it. I didn't really know what they meant by ¼ bunch thyme, so I used four three-inch pieces of fresh thyme. For ½ spring of rosemary, I used a two-inch piece of fresh rosemary. The original recipe also calls for oven braising, which can be done in a dutch oven, in a 325 degree oven, for about 5 hours (cook until the meat is falling off the bone). Finally, McNaughton uses his own, fresh-made "garganelli" pasta in this dish, but suggests penne as an alternative; I used casarecce, which is similar.
Recipe by Sprung At Last at https://sprungatlast.com/2014/10/thomas-mcnaughtons-braised-short-ribs-with-pasta/