Short Ribs with Tagliatelle

My husband found this recipe through a Food Network search, and he's been after me to try it for a while now...Last weekend I made it. It's a Giada De Laurentiis recipe.

Short Ribs with Tagliatelle

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 3 hours
Servings: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
2 oz chopped pancetta (about 1/2 cup)
2 1/2 lbs short ribs
Salt
Freshly ground 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 oz) can tomatoes (whole or diced)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 cups beef broth
3/4 cup red wine
1 lb fresh or dried tagliatelle
4 to 6 tsp shaved bittersweet chocolate

Directions
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.

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, about 8 to 10 minutes for dried pasta and 2 to 3 minutes for fresh. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the pot and stir to combine. Add the reserved pasta liquid 1/4 cup at a time, if needed, to moisten the pasta. Transfer to serving bowls, top each bowl with 1 teaspoon of chocolate shavings. Serve immediately.

My thoughts:
I found the prep to be a little messy. But once you have everything in the pot the smell was super delicious and I noticed a lot more traffic into the kitchen, everyone wanted a sniff.

I found it very fatty, so I scooped out as much fat as possible before serving it. The chocolate added a nice taste to the sauce, and the kids got a kick out of having chocolate on "regular food". Taste wise, it was very nice, but wasn't spectacular. That being said, the day after the sauce tasted much better, the flavours had enough time to blend in together, in my opinion.

If you try this recipe, I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

What's for dinner?

I'm trying out a new recipe tonight. My husband is a fan of meat and potatoes and I wanted a little variety, and I found this recipe over at Food TV Canada.

Bistro Steak On Garlic Croutes And Sweet Potato Frites


Bistro Steak On Garlic Croutes

•4 slices Vienna bread
•1 clove garlic, halved
•4 tsp olive oil
•2 x 8 oz rib eye grilling steak or 2 x 8 oz striploin grilling steak
•2 tbsp cracked green peppercorns or 2 tbsp cracked black peppercorns
•1/4 cup red wine
•1/4 cup beef stock
•1/4 cup finely diced sweet red pepper
•1 shallot or 1 green onion, finely, diced
•2 tsp butter

Sweet Potato Frites

•4 sweet potato
•1 tbsp vegetable oil
•1 tsp dried thyme
•1/4 tsp salt
•1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

Bistro Steak On Garlic Croutes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Rub bread all over with cut side of garlic; brush with 2 teaspoons (10 mL) of the oil. Toaston baking sheet for 10 minutes or until golden.

Meanwhile, trim off all but 1/8 inch (3 mm) fat from steak. Roll edges in peppercorns to coat.

In skillet, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat; cook steaks for 4 to 6 minutes per side or until medium-rare inside and browned. Transfer to plate; cover and keep warm.

Add wine and stock to skillet; bring to boil, scraping up any brown bits. Boil for about 1 minute or until reduced by half.

Remove from heat. Stir in red pepper, shallot, butter and any juices accumulated on plate.

Cut steaks in half; place on croûtes. Pour sauce over top.

Sweet Potato Frites

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Scrub potatoes. Cut each in half lengthwise; cut each half into 3 wedges. (If long, cut in half crosswise.)

In bowl, toss potatoes with oil, thyme, salt and pepper.

Arrange on foil-lined rimmed baking sheet.

Bake, turning once, for 40 minutes or until tender inside and crisp outside.

*Update*
I have to say that the recipe was a success, the husband loved it, Sophster really enjoyed, Master K liked the toast the best and I thought it was very good. My only complaint is that it was pretty messy.