(Photo by Carlos Sarmiento)
Fusion cuisine at its best. Italy meets Mexico. Apologies in advanced for the purists but believe me, this new dish brings out the best of both countries.
We are incorporating pasta and the traditional method of making short ribs ragu with savory and piquant Central American flavors.
And to top it off, why not pair this meal with a delightfuly complex, fruit-forward Monastrell from Spain?
The melding of all these bold flavors will take your senses to another gastronomic level.
Let’s get cooking!
Menu:
Pappardelle pasta with roasted Pasilla chili pepper and beef Chuck short rib ragu.
Wine pairing:
2018 Tarima Hill Monastrell
(D.O. Alicante, Spain)
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
Sauce:
1 ounce package of Pasilla negra chili pepper (seeded and deveined)
2 tomatillos
1 garlic bulb
1 red Chili pepper (seeded and deveined)
3 medium carrots (peeled and ends trimmed)
1 large white onion (halved)
2 lbs boneless beef Chuck short ribs
Extra Virgin olive oil
Salt/pepper
24 ounces can of San Marzano tomatoes (blended)
2 cups of red wine
Pasta:
1 lb. Pappardelle pasta package
Garnish:
Cotija cheese
Fresh cilantro (finely chopped)
Directions
Sauce:
Wipe off any dusty crevasses on the pasilla chile, using a wet paper towel, then de-stem and de-seed them. Roast them in the oven at 400F for 1-2 minutes.
Add the roasted pasilla to a bowl and cover them with the hot tap water. Let them reconstitute for 20-30 minutes.
Pull the husks off the tomatillos and rinse them. Roast the tomatillos, garlic, onion, carrots and red chili pepper in a 400F oven for 10-20 minutes.
Drain the reconstituted pasilla chiles and add the chile pieces to a blender along with the roasted tomatillos, onion, carrots, red chili pepper, and roasted garlic cloves (that have been squeezed out of garlic bulb), olive oil and some sea salt & cracked pepper.
Blend well and set aside.
Season short ribs with salt and pepper.
On large pot or Dutch oven pot, heat about 4-6 tablespoons of extra Virgin olive oil on high heat. Carefully, place short ribs inside and sear for 2-3 minutes on each side.
Reduce heat to low. Add blended pepper mix and stir. Add red wine and stir, cooking for about 5 minutes. Add San Marzano tomatoes and stir well.
Cover pan with lid.
Place covered pan inside a 375 degree F oven and cook for 3-4 hours. Remove from from oven and shred short ribs mixing with sauce. Keep warm.
Pasta:
Cook pasta according to package instructions.
Drain pasta and carefully mix with short rib sauce.
Serve it up!
On each individual plate, serve a generous portion of the pasta (mixed with the ragu). Add a little extra sauce on top and sprinkle some cotija cheese and fresh cilantro.
Buon apetito! Enjoy!
(Photo by Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo by Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo by Carlos Sarmiento)
2018 Tarima Hill Monastrell
(D.O. Alicante, Spain)
(Photo by Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo by Carlos Sarmiento)
About the wine...
Tarima Hill Winery seeks to reflect the essence of its terroir in each bottle, with an emblem that captures this delicate balance – the passion fruit flower.
Its intricate details and mesmerizing qualities symbolize their carefully crafted MONASTRELL wines from D.O Alicante’s Sierra de la Sima region.
The Monastrell grapes for this wine comes from ungrafted estate vineyards planted between 1935 and 1970 in the unique terroir of the subregion located between the Sierra de Salinas, Sierra de Umbria, and the Sierra de la Sima.
Here, these goblet trained, dry farmed vines experience arid and hot sunny days and cool nights at high altitudes in stony, chalky soils, producing naturally low yields of concentrated, yet balanced Monastrell grapes.
Tasting notes: Elegant, exhibiting a deep garnet color with flashes of violet with a bouquet of dark red cherries and leather.
On the palate, the wine achieves its full potential, offering notes of black berries, plums and licorice with an elegant but persistent finish.
Grapes: 100% Monastrell
Food pairing: Pairs nicely with beef, game, grilled, roasted or smoked pork, cold cuts, meatloaf, cheese-based pasta dishes and risotto.
Special thanks to my friends at Winesellers Ltd. for their wonderful contribution of this exceptional wine.
For more information, visit:
&
https://www.winesellersltd.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Volver_TarimaHill_Monastrell_FS_2019-1.pdf
Decorative wine drip collar by: https://dripstosips.com
(Special discount promo code: CFW15)
(Photo by Robby McCullough)