Slow-Roasted Boneless Short Ribs give new life to the idea of leftovers. Here, they’re transformed into the perfect Sunday supper of ribbon pasta with succulent meat sauce. Once you prepare the short ribs, this dish takes relatively little time to make, yet your guests will be seduced by this sugo. The sauce will make more than you need, which you’ll thank me for later. Store the remaining sugo in a covered container in the fridge or freezer. There is nothing worse than gloppy, oversauced pasta. Proportion is important; the pasta should be lightly coated in sauce, not drowning.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
To reconstitute the porcini, put the mushrooms in a bowl and pour hot water over them to cover, about 2 cups. Soak until the mushrooms soften, 30 minutes. Carefully lift the mushrooms out of the liquid with a fork, so as not to disturb the sediment settling at the bottom. Coarsely chop the mushrooms; you should have about 3/4 cup. Strain the porcini soaking water into a measuring cup through a coffee filter or a double layer of paper towels; you should have 1 1/2 cups.
Step 2
Put a large skillet over medium heat and coat with 2 tablespoons of the oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Toss in half of the garlic, all of the thyme and rosemary, and season with salt and pepper. Add the chopped porcini, the tomatoes, and the short ribs. Stir everything together and cook for about 5 minutes. Pour in the wine and continue to cook until the liquid has evaporated, roughly 10 minutes. Pour in the broth and reserved porcini water. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. You should have about 6 cups of sauce.
Step 3
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pappardelle, give it a good stir, and cook until tender but still firm to the bite (al dente), 8 to 10 minutes.
Step 4
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the escarole. Put a skillet over medium heat and coat with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the remaining garlic and stir until golden, only about 30 seconds. Add the escarole, stirring to coat with oil, and raise the heat to high. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the escarole is wilted and most of its liquid has evaporated, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add half of the sugo to the escarole and stir to combine. (Let the remaining sauce cool, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.)
Step 5
To serve, drain the pasta and put it back in the pot. Add the escarole and sauce, along with the butter and Parmesan, tossing to coat the pasta evenly. Divide among 4 plates. Top each with a spoonful of ricotta and shower with chopped parsley. Pass more grated cheese at the table.
