This short rib bolognese will be your new favorite slow-roasted dish! This short rib bolognese is paired with creamy ricotta ravioli.
Happy Saturday! We move one day closer to Christmas today, and what a beautifully snowy day it is out there! I’m sitting here with my cup of coffee, curled up on the sofa with my two little cuddle buddies, with the Christmas tree lit up and a crackling fireplace. Okay, that part is actually just the Yule Log channel, but it gives me a vision of the future, when one day we’ll have an actual fireplace in our home 🙂
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Last night we headed down to the historic Detroit Athletic Club for a night of delicious food and dancing for the White Christmas Ball. It was a beautiful event, and a crazy fun time, and it reminds me so much of my childhood, spending time with my mom while she was volunteering for the St. John Fontbonne Auxiliary.
Enough reminiscing, because right now my belly is screaming “COMFORT FOOD!” Isn’t this just the perfect time of the year for making slow-simmering meats on the stove and homemade ravioli stuffed plump with ricotta? Yes, yes it is.
Related: Goat Cheese Ravioli with Roasted Carrot Soup
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You’ve gotta make this next weekend, I’m telling you: there is nothing more magical in this wintery season that the smells of slowly simmering beef short ribs in a Dutch oven on the stove, and sneaking a little piece here and there all afternoon long. The meat literally will be falling off the bone by the end of it’s hot tub session. I wanted to make this dish really special, and so instead of throwing it on top of the usual mashed potatoes or noodles, I opted for a homemade ravioli. These ricotta-stuffed beauties are absolutely divine with the short rib bolognese: the way that the creamy ricotta just melts right into the sauce… mmm you will never want to not eat beef short ribs with ravioli again!
Related: Beef Ravioli with Creamy Tomato Sauce
What are some of your favorite comfort foods this season? Share with me by commenting below!
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 1/2 pounds bone-in short ribs
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- 4 ounces pancetta, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 medium white onion, peeled and diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes (such as San Marzano)
- 2 cups beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 4-5 thyme sprigs
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
- 1/2 cup minced parsley
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 1/2 cups fresh ricotta
- 1 1/2 cups fresh grated parmesan
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 egg, lightly beaten for egg wash
- In a large dutch oven, melt butter with olive oil over medium-high heat. Generously season short ribs on all sides with kosher salt and pepper. Sear in dutch oven for about 2-4 minutes per side, until crisped and browned all over. Remove short ribs to a plate.
- Add pancetta to dutch oven and cook until crispy, stirring occasionally, about 8-10 minutes. Add another tablespoon of olive oil if necessary. Add carrots, celery and onions to the dutch oven and saute, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften and brown, about 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one minute more. Add tomato paste and red pepper flakes, stirring for about 30 seconds until the paste evenly coats all the vegetables. Add red wine to deglaze pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Add canned whole tomatoes to a food processor and pulse for a few seconds to break down the tomatoes. Add tomatoes, beef stock, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs to dutch oven, stirring to combine. Add short ribs back to the pot, using a spoon to cover them with sauce. Turn heat to low and cover pot. Simmer over low heat for about 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until meat is tender and falling off the bone.
- (Prepare ravioli as below while beef is cooking.)
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- When beef is cooked, remove from pot. Turn heat to medium-high and allow sauce to reduce for about 10-15 minutes until thickened. Shred meat, discarding bones. When sauce has thickened, Add parmesan cheese and stir until combined. Return beef to pot and cook for about 5 minutes more.
- Cook ravioli until they float, about 3-4 minutes.
- To serve, top 4-5 ravioli with a heaping spoonful of bolognese. Garnish with grated parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.
- In a large stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine all-purpose flour and salt and mix briefly to combine. With mixer running on medium, add eggs, olive oil, and milk. Mix until the dough comes together into a rough ball. It may be necessary to add a little bit of water: Put the 2-4 tablespoons of water into a small cup and add just a splash or two at a time. Wait 10-15 seconds and repeat if the dough still has not come together. (You will be able to tell when it is ready!) Turn out dough onto a smooth flour-covered surface and knead for 1-2 minutes. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- While pasta dough rests, prepare filling. To a medium-sized mixing bowl, add ricotta, parmesan cheese, egg, salt, and pepper and stir until combined. Set aside while pasta dough rests.
- Cut off a large chunk of the pasta dough and roll flat using a rolling pin or a pasta roller. Use a spoon to place tablespoon-sized dollops of ricotta filling along a sheet of pasta. Brush a bit of egg wash around each dollop and then top with a second sheet of pasta, pressing to seal around the edges. Cut each ravioli with a ravioli cutter. (Click here for a video on how to fill the ravioli if you have not done this before; it really helps to watch someone do it first!) Set ravioli aside on a lightly floured baking sheet until ready to cook.