Sunday Sauce and Sonic the Hedgehog

Since my posts on the XLtribe are on Sundays it seemed only right to do a Sunday Sauce.  It’s a rich and decadent recipe, full of meaty richness that only comes from slow cooking.  It’s also fairly easy, and once you get the gist of it, highly customizable.

So let’s gather our ingredients and get right to it.

1. 20 ounces of bone-in beef short ribs
2. 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3. 2 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes (I have a weakness for the fire roasted personally)
4. 1 6 ounce can of tomato paste
5. one large red onion (diced)
6. one large sweet onion (keep dicing)
7. 4 scallions (you’re still dicing)
8. 5 cloves of garlic (you guessed it…diced)
9. 4 tablespoons of butter
10. 2 cups of beef broth or 1 bouillon cube diluted in 2 cups of hot water
11. salt and pepper
12. fresh basil (optional)

Over high heat get that olive oil nice and blazing then add the short ribs.  You’re looking to quickly sear the meat on all sides so that it’s nice and brown.  Once seared remove the short ribs to a plate and lower the temp under the pot to medium.

Add the onions, scallions, garlic to the pot, stirring to mix. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and let the aromatics caramelize but DO NOT BURN.  This is really the only dangerous point in this recipe, if the onions burn then the taste of the final sauce will be…you guessed it, kinda burnt and bitter. So be watchful of those onions son.

Next, we’ll deglaze the pot. I choose to deglaze with beef broth over water or wine because I wanted an even stronger and richer meat flavor.  Also by using the broth, I’ll supplement some of the salt in this recipe.

Once all of those bits are mixed together you can add the tomatoes, tomato paste and return the seared short ribs to the pot.

Stir to mix, do a quick taste to see if the sauce needs any salt or pepper, then drop the heat to low and WALK AWAY.  You’re going to let that sauce cook until the meat not only falls off the bone but becomes indistinguishable from every else in the pot.

Seriously, go play some 2k, read a book or any of the other fantastic lifestyle articles on this website.  Come back to the pot in an hour or so to check on the sauce, add a little water if needed and walk away again until it’s done.

Once the sauce resembles this, then you can begin on your pasta.

I want to say that I chose this artisanal pasta because of the quality of the brand or high-quality ingredients but in reality, I was walking through the grocery store and thought it looked like Sonic the Hedgehog.  I have no shame.  You can make this recipe with any pasta of your choice, don’t follow me in this regard, I’m a food nerd.

Once your pasta is cooked to your liking, we’re going to tie it together to the sauce so that the two mesh together.

Add the butter to a frying pan over medium high heat, once melted add your pasta along with a splash of the pasta water and a few spoonfuls of the sauce.

By doing this you create a dish where the sauce and pasta flow into each other rather having a sauce that just sits on top of a blandish pasta.

Fill up your plate, pour some sauce on top and grate a bit of Romano cheese over it. Break out your favorite baguette and rip it apart in the French Fashion to sop up all that rich meaty deliciousness.

Until next time, stay grumpy…

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