In the third part of our visit with Casey Thompson, Top Chef star, former executive chef at Shinsei and current chef at Fort Worth's Brownstone, Thompson shares a recipe for a beefy pasta dish. For parts 1 and 2 of our interview with Thompson, go here and here.
Pasta and Grass-fed Beef
Ingredients 2 tbsp olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 onion, white, diced small 1/2 lb ground beef sirloin, grass-fed kosher salt black pepper 1 1/2 lbs short ribs, grass fed, cut into 3 pieces 1 cup carrots, medium, diced small 1 cup celery, diced small 1 1/2 cups Terrazas Malbec 1 whole bay leaf 1/2 half cinnamon stick 1 tbsp tomato paste 28 ounces San Marzano tomatoes, canned, pureed 14 ounces tomato sauce, canned 2 stems oregano, fresh 1 1/2 cups beef stock 1 Italian sausage, removed from casing 1/2 pound tagliatelle, fresh
Method In a medium sauté pan, heat olive oil. Add onion and sweat until translucent. Add garlic. Cook an additional 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add sirloin and cook until browned. Place cooked mixture in a food processor until finely ground. Add back to the pan. Set aside. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
In a heavy Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the short ribs and sear each side. Add the carrots and the celery to the pan and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and coat the vegetables. When the paste begins to stick on the bottom, deglaze with the Malbec, reduce for 5 minutes. Add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick and tomatoes. Add the tomato sauce, oregano and beef stock. Add the browned beef. Stir to incorporate. Season with salt. Bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to medium-low. Add the sausage in pieces and place a lid on the pot. Place the pot into the oven. Cook in the oven for 2 hours.
Remove the short ribs from the pot and remove the bones and fat. Shred the pieces of ribs into chunks and add back to the pot. Check the seasoning and keep warm. In a large pot of boiling salted water, add the tagliatelle. In 2-3 minutes, remove the noodles and drain well. In a warm bowl, add the pasta to the bowl. Incorporate the sauce and the noodles together. Add warm pasta boiling liquid if too thick. Garnish with Parmigiano Reggiano.
