short rib & sausage ragù
going out with a bang
Here’s a rich, unctuous ragù to carry you through the holiday season and frosty winter evenings. Its foundation is a textbook braise—meat, vegetables, liquid, and aromatics cooked low and slow—with a few unexpected touches that add warmth and a little…sparkle. Meaty English-cut short ribs make any meal feel like a special occasion, especially when paired with tender ribbons of fresh pappardelle.
Like most meat sauces, this one gets better with time. And we’re in luck: With shorter, colder days comes more time—in the kitchen, at least. This is by far my favorite time of year to cook, in the glow of low-lit lamps and twinkling streetlights, fuzzy socks on foot and glass of wine in hand. I luxuriated in creating this dish, spreading the work across three days (though you certainly don’t have to), and the result, I think, was all the better for it.
When developing recipes, I usually take inspiration from seasonal produce, my favorite meals, or traditional Italian fare. This isn’t really inspired by any of those things, other than a rare trip to the kosher butcher where the short ribs looked particularly nice that day. Indeed, I struggled to find beef short ribs as a star Italian ingredient. Pork ribs are more typical, especially in Emilia-Romagna, where they’re braised with tomatoes and, as with most resourceful Italian cooking, the result is spread across not one, but two meals: 1) the braising liquid/sauce is tossed with pasta; 2) the meat is served on its own as a main dish. This is brilliant, of course, but I opted for gluttony and ate everything together, all in one go. In Tuscany, you’ll find plenty of braised dishes using other tough cuts of beef, like peposo, a gorgeous and remarkably simple stew of garlic, red wine, and a lot of black pepper, served over polenta. (This is definitely on my winter cooking list.)
Usually I’d tell you it’s totally fine to skip the fresh pasta in favor of whatever box you have in the pantry. But since we’re already spending more time at home—and if you’ve committed to making this recipe—I urge you to make the pasta, too. You’ll have plenty of time to knead your dough, roll your sheets, and cut your ribbons while the meat cooks (even better if you rope in family and friends!). And, if you’re feeding a crowd, feel free to double the recipe and make both the sauce and the pasta in advance (see pasta storage tips below), so all that’s left to do when your guests arrive is drop the noodles in boiling water.
It’s hard to believe this year is coming to an end. I hope you can spend these last weeks with people you love, doing things you love, and eating things you love. I’ll be back with another new recipe after the ball drops—it’s gonna be a good one!
Wishing you all a very happy New Year and a healthy, restful start to 2024!
—Meryl
Braised Short Rib & Sausage Ragù
Serves 4