Name: Tomato-Beef Sauce with Cinnamon, Cloves, and Parsley
Total time: 2 h 45 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 1/2 pounds beef short ribs , trimmed of fat; 1 medium onion , minced; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; Pinch ground cloves; 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves; 1/2 cup red wine; 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes , drained, juice reserved, tomatoes chopped fine

Why This Recipe Works

For a rich meat sauce using today’s lean pork, we relied on a fattier cut like country-style pork ribs, which turned meltingly tender when cooked and gave the tomato sauce a truly meaty flavor. Beef short ribs were also good, but since they tend to be thicker than pork ribs, we cooked them a little longer when preparing our traditional Italian meat sauce recipe.

Before You Begin

Depending on their size, you will need 4 or 5 ribs. To prevent the sauce from becoming greasy, trim all external fat from the ribs and drain off most of the fat from the skillet after browning. This thick, rich, robust sauce is best with tubular pasta, such as rigatoni, ziti, or penne. Pass grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese at the table. The sauce can be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

Instructions

Heat oil in 12-inch, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Season ribs with salt and pepper and brown on all sides, turning occasionally with tongs, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer ribs to plate; pour off all but 1 teaspoon fat from skillet. Add onion and sauté until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cinnamon, cloves, and parsley and saute until spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds longer. Add wine and simmer, scraping pan bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, until wine reduces to a glaze, about 2 minutes.

Return ribs and accumulated juices to skillet; add tomatoes and reserved juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently, turning ribs several times, until meat is very tender and falling off the bones, about 2 hours.

Transfer ribs to clean plate. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones and shred with fingers, discarding fat and bones. Return shredded meat to sauce in skillet. Bring sauce to a simmer over medium heat and cook, uncovered, until heated through and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. To serve, toss sauce with drained pasta.