Back 5 years ago, when we started taking cooking a little more seriously, Jeff and I bought a few of Giada DeLaurentiis' cookbooks.We love Italian food and she has great recipes which are fairly easy to make. Most of her recipes have ingredients which are right in your home. I have learned to keep a few extra things that show up in many of her recipes like...pancetta. Where I live, Hannaford's sells chopped pancetta in 4 ounce packages in the deli section. I always pick up a few bags and keep them in the refrigerator in case I use one of her recipes.
This recipe Tagliatelle with Short Ribs comes from Giada DeLaurentiis' Everyday Pasta Cookbook. When I found this recipe about a year ago, I thought it took quite a bit of time to make, 3+ hours. When we finished, it was worth every bit of time. The beef was moist and the sauce was very flavorful. This has become one of our staple dinner recipes. We make this recipe about once a month. The nice thing is we will make it on a Sunday while watching football (Go Pats!), then I save it for dinner the following night. For me, it's a great meal on a busy work night!
Also, I found that tagliatelle pasta was tough to find at my local Shaws and Hannafords. So for pasta, I use anything from egg noodles to mini-penne.
INGREDIENTS
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Cook the pancetta until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, season the short ribs with salt and pepper, and dredge in the flour. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta from the pan and set it aside. Add the short ribs to the pan and cook until browned on all sides, about 7 minutes total. Meanwhile, combine the onion, carrot, parsley, garlic, tomatoes, and tomato paste in a food processor and pulse until finely minced. Once the short ribs are browned, add the minced vegetables to the pot along with the pancetta and stir. Add the rosemary, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, beef broth, and wine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for another hour and 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Using a slotted spoon, lift out the short ribs and let cool briefly on a plate. Shred the meat and return it to the pot, discarding the bones. Discard the bay leaf. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until -tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes for dried pasta or 2 to 3 minutes for fresh. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the pot with the short rib ragù and stir to combine. If needed, add the reserved pasta liquid 1/4 cup at a time to moisten the pasta. Transfer to serving bowls, top each bowl with 1 teaspoon of chocolate shavings, and serve immediately.
