Braised Beef Ragu Shredded Beef In Tomato Sauce A Gouda Life Recipes

BRAISED BEEF RAGU

Steps:

• Bring the beef to room temperature then cut it into 4 pieces. Pat it dry with paper towels, then generously season it on all sides with salt and pepper (I used a good tablespoon of salt).
• Add the olive oil and a tablespoon of butter to a Dutch oven or large, oven-safe pot over medium high heat and once it's hot, add the beef searing on all sides and ends then transfer the beef to a plate.
• Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary and sage. Reduce the heat to medium-low and saute 5 minutes then add the tomato paste and continue cooking 2 more minutes.
• Pour in the wine scraping the bottom to get all the brown bits off and cook 2-3 minutes on medium heat stirring occasionally or until the wine starts to reduce, then fold in the crushed tomatoes and beef stock
• Return beef and their juices to pot, turning them over in the sauce then cover bake at 325 degrees for 2 - 2 1/2 hours, stirring at the 1 hour point and checking for doneness at 2 hours. You want the beef to be able to shred easily, but before it becomes mushy.
• Remove the pot from the oven and take the beef out of the pot for shredding. Remove the carrots, celery and herbs then continue cooking the sauce 15 more minutes (stovetop) uncovered allowing the sauce to reduce and thicken more while you shred the beef.
• Taste the sauce and adjust for salt and pepper.NOTE: Some canned tomatoes aren't as sweet as others. If your sauce isn't as sweet as you'd like, add brown sugar ½ teaspoon at a time, combining thoroughly and tasting after each ½ teaspoon.
• Using 2 forks shred the beef (I like to leave about 1/3 of it in a bit larger pieces) then add the shredded beef to the sauce along with the other tablespoon of butter and chopped parsley.
• Serve with pappardelle or gnocchi cooked according to package directions along with fresh bread or salad and fresh parmesan cheese.

SLOW-COOKER SHORT RIB RAGU

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season short ribs with salt and pepper. In batches, cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer ribs to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon fat from skillet, and add onion and carrot. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until vegetables are soft, 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup juice from tomatoes, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from skillet with a wooden spoon.
• Transfer vegetables and liquid to slow cooker and add tomatoes, breaking them up as you go. Add herb sprigs; season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high until meat is fork-tender, 6 hours.
• With a slotted spoon, remove herb sprigs and transfer meat to a cutting board. With a ladle or large spoon, skim fat from cooking liquid (you'll remove about 1 1/4 cups). With two forks, shred meat and return to cooking liquid. Serve immediately, or let cool in liquid and reheat over medium before serving.