Butternut Short Rib Ragu

 It was Sunday at 11:40 am. I was sitting on the couch with Max watching the Green Bay Packers pre-game show, trying to think about what to make for dinner. The temperature had dropped below 90, heck it had dropped below 80, so that meant one thing: FALL.

Kind of.

I decided to make something that felt like fall, and thus a short rib ragu with butternut squash was born. I did a little googling only to discover that I could not find such a recipe. I had a beef ragu recipe that I've made and adapt a little differently each time, and I've made short ribs a handful of times so decided to combine the two. I used that as a base, added butternut squash cubes instead of traditional carrots and a few ingredients to taste.

This was hands down, maybe one of the best things I've made in the history of ever. It was rich in flavor and I love how it all came together! I served it over gnocchi, but it is versatile and would be great served with pappardelle, polenta or mashed potatoes. Like the filling for the Chicken Fiesta Spuds, you can make a big pot of this and have it for leftovers in various ways throughout the week. 

Grocery List:
Yields 6 servings

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 pounds short ribs, bone-in
• Salt and freshly ground pepper 
• 1 cup butternut squash, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 medium shallots, diced
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1.5 cups red wine, such as Cabernet
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 cups beef stock 
• 1 tsp. rosemary, minced
• 1 tsp. thyme, minced
• 1 tsp. flat-leaf parsley + additional for garnish, minced
• Red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• Chopped parsley Pecorino Romano, for garnish

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Cook time: 3.5 hours (approx)
 
Pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees.

In a dutch oven or large enamel pot, heat the oil on high until almost smoking. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Place the short ribs two at a time in the pot and let brown on top and bottom. Set aside in a bowl and repeat until finished.

Turn the heat down to medium and add celery, onions, shallot and butternut squash to the oil. Cook for about 10 minutes or until softened.

Add flour, followed by the tomato paste. Stir to coat all veggies, then stir in the apple cider vinegar, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom. Turn up the heat to high, add the red wine and let cook until liquid reduces by half.

Add garlic, followed by beef stock. Stir your parsley, rosemary and thyme. Side note: your kitchen should be nice and fragrant right now.

Place the short ribs into the pot making sure you get them down in the liquid. Cover and place in the oven for 2.5 hours. Remove the short ribs and shred them, discarding fat and bones. Skim the fat off the top of the pot to help degrease. Add the shredded meat back to the pot and simmer on the stove for another 20 minutes to reduce the liquid by nearly half. Once reduced, stir in the brown sugar and red pepper flakes to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp for the perfect kick).

Serve your ragu with whatever chosen base, then garnish with pecorino romano and parsley.