Chef Ashley Davis with The Twisted Sprocket Café at Bexley in Land O’ Lakes recently made an appearance at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. She tweaked an old Italian family recipe for the event and it got rave reviews.

Now, the up-and-coming chef is sharing the dish in the Chef’s Kitchen.

Short Rib Ragu with Pappardelle & Pecorino Romano

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds of short ribs, boneless, cut flank-style
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly-ground pepper
  • 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 5 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 sprigs fresh parsley
  • 4 small carrots, diced
  • 3 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 medium shallots, diced
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 cups red wine, cabernet
  • 1/2 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
  • 3 1/2 cups homemade beef stock
  • 1 pound pappardelle pasta
  • Grated Pecorino Romano, for garnish

Directions

Twisted Sprocket Café's Chef Ashley Davis. (Melissa Eichman, staff)

  1. Heat up your skillet to medium-high heat with oil. Season short ribs generously with salt and pepper. Add short ribs to hot oil and cook until browned on both sides. Remove ribs from skillet and place in a 14.25″ x 10″ x 3″ baking dish.

  2. Add carrots, celery, onion and shallots to oil and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste to the tilt skillet and stir to combine. Add wine and stir with a wooden spoon until the brown bits have been scraped from the skillet. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Add garlic, beef stock and herbs.

  3. Pour the vegetable and liquid over the meat and cover. Place in the oven at 350 degrees for about three hours.

  4. Uncover the meat for one more hour or until the ribs are very tender and a little crispy on the top. As soon as the short ribs are cool enough to handle, shred the meat into small pieces and reserve some of the liquid.

  5. Fill a large pot with water and add salt. Set over high heat, and bring to a boil. Stir in Pappardelle pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta, and serve with short rib ragu and reserved liquid.

  6. Serve with fresh parsley and freshly grated Pecorino Romano.

The Twisted Sprocket is the community café located in the Bexley Club of the new Pasco County community. It is open to the public.