Short Ribs with Tagliatelle

Despite my deep and long-lasting affection for Ms. Giada de Laurentiis, I rarely if ever cook her food. I do enjoy Italian food, but I just never have liked very much of what she makes. She does seem to make great desserts, but they seem extremely involved. This weekend, I changed things up a bit and decided to bring out the big guns and make a Giada recipe for the ages.

Before I get into my "beef" with this recipe, let me preface by saying it was delicious. The sauce that these short ribs stewed it was unbelievable. The flavors were perfects, and all proportions were spot on. The ribs, however, left a lot to be desired. They were disgustingly fatty, and kind of dry. I should have known that any short ribs from the grocery store were not going to stand up the the beautiful butcher-prepared ribs that they filmed on the set of Everyday Italian.

So instead of shredding the meat, I had to trim the tendons and fat ribbons then cut up the remaining meat with my knife. All of that said, the final product was very savory and delicious. I didn't use the chocolate, and I served the meal over linguine instead of tagliatelle. I have cut out the entire pasta cooking section of the instructions as the seemed slightly unnecessary.

(edits have been made to this recipe for continuity and clarification)

- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 ounces chopped pancetta (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 1/2 pounds beef short ribs
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 (14-ounce) can tomatoes (whole or diced)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 1/2 cups beef broth
- 3/4 cup red wine
- 1 pound fresh or dried tagliatelle
- 4 to 6 teaspoons shaved bittersweet chocolate

Place 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 aside. Add the short ribs to the pan and brown on all sides, about 7 minutes total.

Meanwhile, combine the onion, carrot, parsley and garlic in a food processor and blend until finely minced. Then add the tomatoes and tomato paste and pulse.

Once the short ribs are browned, carefully add the mixture from the food processor to the pot. Return the pancetta to the pot and stir. Add the rosemary, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, beef broth, and wine. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for another hour and a half, stirring occasionally. Remove the meat and bones from the pot. Discard the bones. Shred the meat and return it to the pot. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste.

Cook your pasta according to package directions. When it is cooked and drained, add the beef sauce mixture to the pasta a ladle-full at a time. Add just enough to coat the pasta and add a nice amount of meat. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with crusty bread.