Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking / Inspired by Cooking Light
Equipment
Large Dutch oven
Ingredients
2tspolive oil
1¼lblean short ribs, excess fat removed
Dried oregano, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
½yellow onion, diced
1carrot, peeled & diced
1spicy pork Italian sausage, casing removed
1½tbsptomato paste
4-5cloves of garlic, minced
½tspfennel seeds, crushed
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
½cupdry red wine
1(28 oz)can of whole tomatoes, crushed by hand
1fresh rosemary sprig
2-3tspwhite wine vinegar, to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Season the short ribs with oregano, garlic powder, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Place into the hot Dutch oven and sear all sides of the short ribs, turning with tongs, until golden brown & the fat has rendered down, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer the ribs to a plate then pour off all but 1 teaspoon of grease.
Add the onion and carrot and sauté until soft, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the Italian sausage (removed from casing) and break it into crumbles as it cooks for 2 minutes.
Add the tomato paste, minced garlic, crushed fennel seeds, and crushed red pepper flakes and continue cooking, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
Deglaze the pan with the wine, making sure to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook, until the wine has reduced to a glaze, about 2 minutes.
Add the short ribs and their juices back to the Dutch oven then add the hand-crushed whole tomatoes and rosemary sprig; stir to combine.
Cover with a lid & place into the oven to simmer gently, turning the ribs & stirring a few times throughout the cooking process, until the meat is very tender and falls off the bones, about 3 hours.
Remove from the oven and carefully transfer the ribs to a clean plate. When cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and shred with fingers, discarding the fat and bones.
Remove the grease from the top of the sauce if any. Return the shredded meat to the sauce in the Dutch oven. Bring the sauce to a simmer over low heat and stir in the vinegar. Taste and re-season with more vinegar, sea salt, and/or freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Serve over your cooked pasta of choice. Enjoy.