Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragu with Horseradish Gremolata -- Almost Doing It Right

Mother's Day week and the thing I think about every year: how do you adequately thank a person who has been showing you how to live since before you could walk? You can't. You take her to brunch and you buy her the flowers she says she doesn't want and you tell her what you mean in imperfect words and she waves it away and that's the deal. Maureen Donovan does not require acknowledgment for what she does. She requires that you do it for someone else when the time comes.

We took her to brunch at a restaurant on the harbor that has a view of the water and serves an eggs Benedict that even Sean Sr. agreed was good, which was its own kind of victory. Meghan and Brian and Aidan came. Patrick and Colleen. Sean D. sat next to Maureen and I watched him pour her coffee without being asked and refill it without asking again, and I thought: he has been watching. He pays attention. He is going to be an excellent member of this family.

Four weeks until the wedding. I work three more shifts before the week off I'm taking before the ceremony, and then that week, and then everything changes. I'm not frightened of the change. I'm ready for it. I've been ready for it since approximately the moment Sean D. walked into that wedding at twenty-nine with his big open laugh and his complete lack of pretense and I thought: there he is.

I made Maureen's pot roast for Mother's Day dinner at her house Sunday night — her recipe, her Dutch oven, her kitchen, but my hands. She stood in the doorway and watched me braise it and said, "You're almost doing it right." I said, "What's wrong?" She said, "Nothing's wrong." I said, "Then why almost?" She said, "Because almost is a better compliment than perfectly. Perfectly means you're done learning." That's Maureen. She teaches you even when she's praising you.

I’m not ready to call this Maureen’s recipe yet — she would correct me if I did — but this slow-braised short rib ragu is the closest I’ve come to capturing what happens in her kitchen when she lets a tough cut of beef go low and slow until it gives. The horseradish gremolata is my addition, the small thing I’ve started doing to make it mine, and when I told her about it she said, “Good.” Four weeks out from the wedding and I’m standing at the stove thinking: this is how it works, you take what you’re given and you add your “almost” to it.

Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragu with Horseradish Gremolata

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 8 hrs | Total Time: 8 hrs 25 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 3 lbs bone-in beef short ribs (about 4–6 pieces)
• 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup dry red wine (such as Cabernet or Chianti)
• 1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 lb pappardelle or wide egg noodles, for serving
• Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

For the Horseradish Gremolata:

• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tsp prepared horseradish (or 1 tsp fresh grated)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Season and sear the ribs. Pat the short ribs completely dry with paper towels and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear the short ribs for 3–4 minutes per side until deeply browned. Transfer to the slow cooker insert.
2. Build the base. In the same pot, reduce heat to medium and add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook 1–2 minutes more until the paste darkens slightly.
3. Deglaze. Pour in the red wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let it simmer for 2 minutes to cook off the sharpness, then pour the whole mixture over the short ribs in the slow cooker.
4. Add liquids and aromatics. Pour the crushed tomatoes and beef broth over the ribs. Tuck in the rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf. The liquid should come about halfway up the ribs.
5. Slow cook. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours (or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours), until the meat is completely tender and falling away from the bone.
6. Shred and reduce. Remove the short ribs and discard the bones and herb sprigs. Shred the beef with two forks. If the sauce seems thin, pour it into a saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 10–15 minutes to concentrate. Return the shredded beef to the sauce and stir to combine. Taste and adjust salt.
7. Make the gremolata. Combine the parsley, horseradish, garlic, lemon zest, and salt in a small bowl and stir together. Set aside until serving.
8. Serve. Cook pasta according to package directions. Spoon the ragu generously over noodles, scatter gremolata over the top, and finish with Parmesan.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 610 | Protein: 42g | Fat: 28g | Carbs: 44g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 620mg