Real quick – what’s a short rib? A lot of people get confused looking at short ribs and that’s because when you buy them from your grocer or even your butcher they have taken the ribs, divided them and then cut them into shorter little chunks that you use for braising. The name short rib, I believe, came about because of how they cut them but short ribs are just beef ribs. They're much longer and harder to handle in their original size so that’s why they get a trim. But if you've ever been to a BBQ joint and see the big Fred Flintstone beef rib on the menu and it’s a fat ol’ hunk of meat with a huge bone sticking out, that’s the same thing. 

Here's what you'll need: 

1 recipe of my filled pasta dough, refer to my fresh pasta post here: http://www.theartofeating.info/blog/2017/6/10/making-fresh-pasta 

2 cups of smoked short rib, fine chopped 

1 1/4 cup fresh ricotta 

1 egg 

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

1lb fresh mushrooms, any variety like crimini or button will do, cleaned and rough chopped 

2 medium carrots, peeled and medium diced 

1 onion, medium diced 

3-4 dried porcini mushrooms 

Salt and pepper to taste 

1 beaten egg for egg wash 

A pasta roller 

Now the first step is also your longest step, which in this case will be the brodo or broth. Start by getting your pot ripping hot and dry roasting your carrots and onions. Why dry roast? I want this to be a very clean broth, you can add a little oil or butter to your pan to help sweat these aromatics out but I really don't want there to be any fat in this broth. Getting the pot really hot and throwing your veggies in there with a little salt to draw out some moisture will keep your pan from burning and the veggies from sticking too much. They're only gonna be in there for about 1.5 to 2 minutes. Once they start to brown, or almost char, add water to about to the top of your pot (about 2.5 quarts). Next, add your mushrooms and turn the heat down to a low simmer and let them go for about an hour. At this point you should have this nice brown hue in your water, especially looking at the sides of the pot, getting deeper in color as the depth of the pot goes down. It’s pretty beautiful stuff. You should also have this very earthy aroma; you can taste at this point but you’re gonna think something’s missing. You'll feel drawn to turn to some herbs but we don't wanna mask this beautiful earthy brodo with anything but mushrooms. If it was for a different occasion then maybe but it’s not what were looking for here. Strain and discard the mushrooms and vegetables and place the broth back in the pot. Bring up to a simmer once more and toss in your dried porcini's. This is going to add that nice level of umami that were looking for while still feeling familiar. In case you don’t remember what I mean when I say ‘umami’ - Dried ingredients add this high concentrated level of flavor that hits that "6th sense" taste bud in your mouth. This can be found in most fish sauces or pastes, cured and dried meats, anchovies, honestly tons of things. We really only want this steeping for about 20 minutes more, then strain again and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Now that your brodo's made, lets tackle some tortellini. Go brush up on your pasta skills with my ‘how to pasta’ post from a few months back (link is above in recipe). It’s a very simple, straightforward recipe but you wanna do it first so the pasta dough can rest about 40-60 minutes. In the mean time, we’ll make the filling. For ravioli we would leave the meat a little chunkier but for a small tight tortellini I want the meat ground fairy fine so well pulse it in a food processor till its ground well. Next add the ricotta, egg and cheese and mix well. Chances are you won't need to season here; the beef rib was heavily seasoned before smoking and you're getting a good amount of salt from the cheeses. When your filling is made, throw it in a piping bag or you can keep it in a bowl and just spoon your portions out. Each portion will be about slightly more than a teaspoon. 

For the pasta production, Im gonna stay short and sweet and let the pictures do most of the talking. Also don't be intimidated; this recipe is fairly forgiving. Start by extruding your sheets of pasta, or pushing them through the roller, to a fairly thin size. We’re using a high yolk recipe for filled dough so they can take some abuse; the yolks are gonna help add a nice chew even though our pasta is thin. I hate those thick belly bomb raviolis you get at restaurants; they fill ya up too much and are too doughy. Cut your sheet into 2.5-3" squares. Take a beaten egg with about a tablespoon of water to use as your egg wash. Using your finger spread the wash on all four sides of the square. Depending on how fast you are is how many you'll want to do at a time. For beginners, work with about 3 or 4 at a time but I usually do double that. If you’re not quick though, the dough will start to get gummy. Next, pipe or dollop a small amount of filling in the middle of the square. When folding these guys, start by taking two opposite corners and meeting at the top, seal the sides so you have a triangle then wrap those pointy sides around your finger and seal ‘em together to make a little tortellini! 

Fresh pasta cooks very fast so these guys will only need about 60 seconds in a simmering pot of water or until they begin to float for a bit. Boiling water is just too aggressive for fresh pasta and we just spent all day making these little beauties - we don't want to destroy them in a pot of boiling water. The setup for this dish is very simple, heat up some of your brodo and pour it right over your cooked tortellini in a bowl, garnish with freshly grated Parmesan if you'd like or enjoy plain. Bon appetite!

Tags: pasta, Italian, sauce, comfort food, sausage, beef, recipe, recipes