Working from home has advantages (and disadvantages too, but that’s not the topic). One thing I often do is when I go down to have lunch, I’ll eat my lunch in front of the TV. A typical thing I like to watch? Food Network.

I like watching Giada De Laurentiis for more than her uh… “buxom personality”. The lady can cook and she makes some delicious dishes. I bought one of her cookbooks for Wife, and some fantastic stuff has come out of it. In one recent episode, Giada made this Penne with Braised Short Ribs. I’m reprinting the recipe in full at the end, just in case it ever disappears from Food Network’s website. Wife caught the episode too and opted to try it out.

Folks, it’s fantastic.

The only modification I’d make to the recipe? Cutting up a few katamala olives and adding them in (as a topping at the end, not cooked in); only a few, as they are strong and you just want them to accent the meat, not become the dominant flavor. But the recipe is fine without them.

Now, we’ve had it a few times with beef short ribs and it’s been great. So…. why not try it out with the water buffalo?

Defrosted a set of ribs, and cooked according to the recipe. I know Wife likes to make multiple changes at one time, and when it comes to cooking she’s got a good instinct for it. But she humored me and made only one change: water buffalo ribs instead of beef ribs. This is the engineer in me: if you change something, make one change at a time so you can isolate and know what that change did. If you change multiple things at once, how can you fully assess the impact of the individual changes? Wife’s thinking was, we know water buffalo needs “low and slow” cooking, so we should also change up the cooking time. But my thinking was, this was as different way of cooking the meat: it’s braising, lots of liquid, in a covered pan, and that’s going to do a lot to help break down the meat fibers. So let’s just see; the water buffalo is a new experience for us, so we need to experiment slowly and learn. Cook it exactly like the recipe says, and if it needs more time, we’ll leave it in longer. If it works out, it does, if it doesn’t it doesn’t; either way, we’ll learn from it.

A couple other small modifications happened. We didn’t have any Cabernet so a Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin was used instead. Also no fresh tomatoes so some canned were used, which added a little bit of liquid.

After 2.5 hours at 350º, we knew beef ribs were “fall apart”. We poked at the water buffalo rib meat with forks… it didn’t budge. So we put it back in for another 30 minutes. After 3 hours total, the meat started to come apart, but not “fall apart”. So another 30 minutes (3.5 hours total) and then it started to fall apart.

And, it was delicious. 🙂

If we try it again, I’m curious to fiddle with the cooking time a bit more. Should we try 350º for maybe 4 hours? Or perhaps go 300º for something like 5-6 hours? We do have to mind the liquid evaporation, so too much time isn’t ideal. But, this will certainly be the next variable to play with. My thought is 350º for 4 hours.

So far so good. I’m liking this!

Penne with Braised Short Ribs
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time:20 min
Cook Time:2 hr 40 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
4 pounds beef short ribs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
5 Roma tomatoes, cut into eighths
1 cup red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 pound penne pasta
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions
Place an oven rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Season the ribs with salt and pepper. In a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or ovenproof stock pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. In batches, add the ribs and brown on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the ribs and set aside. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, wine and mustard. Bring the mixture to a boil and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Return the ribs to the pan. Add the beef broth, cover the pan and place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours until the meat is fork-tender and falls easily from the bone.

Remove the ribs from the cooking liquid. Using a large spoon, remove any excess fat from the surface of the cooking liquid. Using a ladle, transfer the cooking liquid in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and keep warm over low heat. Remove the meat from the bones. Discard the bones. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into small pieces. Stir the shredded meat into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and place in a large serving bowl. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the sauce and add to the pasta. Pour 1 cup of the sauce over the pasta. Toss well and thin out the pasta with more sauce, if needed. Sprinkle the pasta with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley before serving.