Gnocchi with Short Rib Ragu
Serves: 4-8 servings
 
If you use one bag of gnocchi, your dish will be meatier and more of a main. But if you're feeding a crowd, you can still deliver the flavor and stretch the meat by boiling 2 bags of gnocchi (up to 32 ounces) with the meat and sauce.
Ingredients
  • 1½ - 2 lbs short ribs
  • Salt and black pepper, for sprinkling
  • Oil, for searing
  • 1 large Spanish onion, diced
  • 2 ribs celery, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
  • 2 cups red wine
  • 2 cups beef stock, or more to cover
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 10-16 ounces frozen gnocchi
  • Fresh or dried rosemary or thyme, for sprinkling
  • White truffle oil, for finishing
Instructions
  1. Season ribs generously with salt and pepper.
  2. In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat a thin layer of oil over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, add ribs and sear for 2-3 minutes per side (sear in batches if needed). Remove the ribs and set aside.
  3. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  4. Drain most of the oil and fat, leaving 1-2 tablespoons.
  5. In a food processor, combine onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Add processed vegetables to pan and cook until beginning to turn golden, while scraping up the bottom of the pan. Stir in tomato paste and cook for an additional 5 minutes, scraping up bottom of pan.
  6. Add red wine and let simmer for 10 minutes to reduce. Add ribs and add enough beef stock to cover. Add bay leaf. Check them throughout the cooking process to make sure they are covered by liquid, and add more stock if necessary.
  7. Cover pan and bake for 3 hours, or until ribs are falling apart and shred easily. Remove ribs and bones from pan and shred, removing fat as necessary. At this point you can put the pan over the stovetop and cook to reduce the liquid. If you’ve only cooked 1 ½ lbs of ribs, you’ll likely only need half the liquid.
  8. Return meat to reduced liquid. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  9. Prepare gnocchi as directed on the package. Serve meat over gnocchi and add some of the sauce. Top with fresh or dried herbs and drizzle with a bit of truffle oil and serve.
Recipe by Between Carpools at https://betweencarpools.com/the-restaurant-gnocchi-dish-you-always-dreamed-of/