Short Rib Ravioli with Brown Butter Lemon Sauce

Pasta Pairings

Photography by Rich Smith

Pasta has been a beloved cuisine staple for centuries, and for good reason. While all traditional pasta is made with a mixture of flour and egg, the countless combinations of pasta shapes and sauces means there’s a pasta dish to please any palate. Here, locals showcase their favorite pasta pairings, from authentic Italian dishes to creative twists on classics.

“A quintessential ‘slow food,’ this recipe is the perfect way to welcome in fall. The richness of the short rib – combined with the tang of the pear and licorice flavor of the fennel – balances well with a sweet and simple lemon butter sauce to create the ultimate comfort food.”

Manuel Cruz

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Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Ingredients

For the filling:

2 lbs. short ribs
Salt and black pepper, to taste
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 bulb of fennel, finely diced
½ yellow onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup white wine
32 oz. beef broth
2 pears (any type works), diced
8 sage leaves, finely chopped

For the pasta:

2¼ cups all-purpose flour, + extra for dusting
3 large eggs
1 Tbsp. olive oil

For the sauce:

1 Tbsp. olive oil
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
4 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp. chicken stock
8 sage leaves
10 basil leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt, to taste

Instructions

For the filling (prepare 1 day in advance):

Preheat oven to 325°.
Using paper towels, dry short ribs, then cut into 4x4-inch pieces. Salt and pepper each piece and set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a Dutch oven on medium-low heat, coating its surface. Brown short ribs by cooking each side for 2 minutes, then set aside.
Add remaining olive oil, fennel, and onion, and cook 4 minutes, until onion is translucent. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Pour in wine and quickly scrape off any bits on the bottom of the pan.
Add in beef broth, pears, sage, and short ribs. Bring to a simmer, cover, and place Dutch oven in oven for 2½-3 hours.
Remove and let rest 25 minutes.
Using tongs, remove short ribs and place in a large bowl until cool enough to handle.
Using your hands, pull the meat from the bones.
Scoop vegetables from the Dutch oven and add to short rib meat. Mix, add salt to taste, and let rest in the fridge overnight.

For the pasta:

Pour 2 cups flour onto workspace, and using your hands, make a large well in the middle. Add eggs and olive oil inside. Use a fork to combine the eggs and oil, working outward to mix in the flour.
Once loosely mixed, knead dough for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Add additional flour if the dough sticks to your hands. Form dough into the shape of a ball, coat with a small amount of olive oil, and wrap with plastic wrap. Let sit for at least 30 minutes.
Dust workspace with ¼ cup flour and remove dough from wrap. Cut into 4 equal pieces. Lightly dust the first piece with flour and use rolling pin to roll out until 6-7 inches long.
Fold top and bottom ends back into themselves and roll out toward non-folded ends. Continue until sheet of dough is thin enough to see the outline of your hands under the sheet. Flour both sides and set on a sheet pan. Repeat process for remaining 3 pieces of dough.
One pasta sheet at a time, trim to make rectangular and cut in half. Roll out one half to be slightly wider. Lightly brush the outside edges of each half with water.
Using a spoon, place 5 1-tablespoon dollops of filling on one half, leaving space between each dollop and the edges of the sheet. Cover with the second half. Use your fingers to press in between the dollops and adhere the edges.
Using a pizza cutter, cut between dollops to get square pieces of ravioli. Press edges with a fork to seal. Lightly dust each piece with flour, and set aside. Repeat process with remaining sheets.

For the sauce:

Add olive oil to a saucepan on medium-low heat.
Add red pepper flakes and cook for 45 seconds, until fragrant. Add butter and let melt. Add brown sugar and whisk until dissolved. Add flour and whisk for 1 minute. Add chicken stock, sage, and basil, and whisk for 2-3 minutes, until stock has reduced.
Remove from heat and add lemon juice, whisking thoroughly. Salt to taste and return to low heat until entrée assembly.

Entrée assembly:

In a large pot, bring water to a boil, and salt.
Working in batches, cook ravioli shells for 6 minutes. Use a mesh ladle strainer to remove ravioli from pot and set on paper towels to soak up water.
Once all shells are cooked, add to the brown butter saucepan, spooning the sauce over each piece. Turn up heat to medium-low for 3 minutes to allow ravioli to crisp slightly.
Plate each serving by spooning sauce onto the dish and setting ravioli on top. Garnish with sage and basil leaves and enjoy!

Keyword brown butter, lemon sauce, ravioli, short rib, short rib ravioli with brown butter lemon sauce

Short Rib Ravioli with Brown Butter Lemon Sauce

Pasta Pairings