Tasty Bits

A Twist to Traditional Pasta Sauce

Sensational Slow Cooked Ragu

There is something truly special about a slow cooked hearty Ragu sauce. It’s the perfect meal for a chilly winter evening, and the flavors that develop while it simmers away all day are positively worth the wait.

A traditional Italian Ragu sauce includes a mix of beef and pork; however, if you want to make this sauce special, use only the best ingredients. I suggest:

Beef short ribs – Since the meat is still on the bone when you cook it, it brings so much more flavor than ground beef.

Pancetta – If you are not familiar with this ingredient, pancetta is like diced bacon but with Italian spices.

San Marzano crushed tomatoes – San Marzano is a region in Italy, and the plum tomatoes grown there have less seeds and less acidity than other tomatoes. They are in the canned vegetable aisle in most grocery stores, you just have to look for them.

When you use these ingredients, you will have a sauce that is delicious today, and even better tomorrow!

Servings: 8-10 Prep time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 7-8 hours

Kathy Dicken lives in Huntersville and is the author of The Tasty Bits food blog. For more meal ideas that are simple and delicious, you can follow her blog at www.thetastybits.com or on Instagram @thetastybits.

Ingredients:

4-5 lbs. bone-in beef, short ribs 4 oz. diced pancetta (or 3 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped 1-1/4 cups dry red wine, such as Sangiovese 1/2 cup low sodium beef broth 2 28 oz. cans crushed San Marzano tomatoes 1 6 oz. can tomato paste 1 yellow onion, chopped 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped 3 ribs celery, finely chopped 1 carrot, finely chopped 2 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 Tbsp. dried thyme 1 Tbsp. fresh chopped sage, or 1 tsp. dried sage 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional) 1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter – divided 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese, save the rind 1 lb. dry pappardelle or tagliatelle pasta

Instructions:

Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Cook the pancetta in a large skillet over medium heat, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain off all but 1 tablespoon. Add the short ribs and sear 2 minutes on both sides. Remove the ribs and transfer to the slow cooker along with the pancetta.

To the slow cooker, add the parmesan rind, wine, broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, garlic, celery, carrot, thyme, sage, red pepper flakes and 4 tablespoons butter. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Once done cooking, skim off any fat floating on the top of the sauce before removing the short ribs to a plate. Shred meat with two forks and discard the bones and the parmesan rind from the sauce. Mix the shredded meat and shredded parmesan into the sauce. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and toss the pasta with 4 tablespoons butter.

Add 4-5 cups of sauce to the buttered noodles and toss well before serving with additional parmesan and crusty bread. Enjoy!