Ingredients
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
4 1/2 pounds beef short ribs
1/2 cup olive oil
1 onion, minced
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed Italian tomatoes
1 cup water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon crushed dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Preparation
Combine the flour, salt, white pepper, and cayenne on a large platter. Dip the short ribs in the mixture to coat lightly on all sides. Remove excess flour by patting the ribs briskly with your hands; set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy stockpot over medium-high heat. Brown the ribs on all sides, in batches if necessary, and transfer to a platter.
Pour off and discard about half of the fat in the pan. Reduce the heat to low, add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic; cook until nearly golden, about 10 minutes. Occasionally scrape and stir the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits of meat.
Stir in the tomatoes, water, tomato paste, oregano, bay leaf, salt pepper and red pepper flakes. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring the sauce to a boil. Add the browned ribs, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, about 3 hours. Check the pot and stir occasionally to prevent scorching.
When done, the meat should fall off the bone when gently scraped with a wooden spoon or fork. Before serving, lift the meat out with a slotted spoon or tongs and place on a platter. With a ladle, skim off and discard any fat that has risen to the top.
Remove the bay leaf. Spoon the remaining sauce over the meat and serve over a bed of pasta such as penne.
Makes 8 servings.
