BEEF SHORTRIB RAGU BY ANDREA LOVE

Andrea Love of Eatnik Food is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and nutritionist, recipe developer and food photographer from Brisbane, Australia.

Andrea is a self-taught home cook and loves to create food that makes people happy, whether it be wholesome or indulgent (or a little bit of both). Eatnik is her space to share her recipes that she hopes others will feel inspired to recreate themselves at home.

She believes that food is wonderful and has the ability to bring nothing but enjoyment to every aspect of life. It is social, artistic and creative just as much as it is sustenance – combine it with a healthy mind and lifestyle and you dramatically improve quality of life.

Follow Andrea Love of Eatnik Food on Instagram or Facebook @eatnikfood.

Beef short ribs are a great, affordable cut of meat. The trick is, they require a longer, slower cook. So if you have time on your hands then you’ll find ribs the perfect ingredient. Alternatively, you could make chuck steak work for your too, but if you can find ribs, make them your first choice.

Ingredients 

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1kg beef short ribs

• 1 brown onion, finely diced

• 1 medium carrot, finely diced

• 2 stalks celery, finely diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 6 sprigs fresh thyme

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 3 tbsp tomato paste

• 200mL port

• 2x 410g cans of crushed tomatoes

• 400mL beef stock

• 1x 5cm parmesan rind

• 1 tsp ground black pepper

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 450g pappardelle pasta

• Freshly grated parmigiano reggiano, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 140ºC (fan-forced). Heat olive oil in a large, heavy set cast-iron pot over a medium to high heat.

2. Place short ribs into the pot in a single layer and cook until one side is golden brown. Flip the ribs over and cook on the other side. Once browned, remove from the oil and set aside.

3. Add onion, carrot and celery and sauté until soft and translucent. Add garlic, thyme, bay leaves and oregano. Sauté for a further two minutes.

4. Add tomato paste and stir through vegetables. Cook until tomato paste deepens in colour – approximately two minutes.

5. Pour in the port and scrape any stuck on bits at the bottom of your pot.

6. Add the crushed tomatoes, beef stock, parmesan rind and salt and pepper. Stir well before adding back in the beef short ribs. Push them down until they are covered in the sauce.

7. Place the lid on your pot and place it in the oven for two to three hours until the meat is falling off the bones.

8. Once cooked, remove pot from oven and discard the bones of the short ribs, as well as bay leaves. Using a ladle, scoop away excess fat sitting on top of the sauce.

9. Take out beef and shred with a fork. Place back into the sauce and stir through.

10. Cook pasta according to packet instructions. Drain and place into a bowl. Scoop in a ladleful of ragu on to the pasta and toss to coat well. Serve pasta on to a plate with another half ladle of ragu on top. Cover generously with grated parmigiano reggiano.

    Serve immediately. Serves 6.