Recipe from Cafe Mingo’s restaurant, downtown Portland, Oregon. Amazing pasta sauce that feeds a crowd!
Ingredients
1cup2 sticks unsalted butter
1 5-poundbeef bottom round, cut into 2 inch cubes (beef top round roast is another option!)
3red onions, halved, thinly sliced
1 750mlbottle Chianti or other fruity wine
1 28ozcan peeled tomatoes with juice
1cupbrewed espresso
2poundspenne, I use DeLallo
Parmesean cheese
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400.
Melt 1 Tbsp butter in large ovenproof pot over medium heat. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Working in batches, cook beef until browned, about 4 minutes per batch. Transfer beef to large bowl. (Use 1 stick of butter, divided with the batches of meat).
Reduce heat to medium. Add the other stick of butter to pot and melt. Add onions and cook until soft, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
Return beef and any accumulated juices to pot. Add wine, tomatoes with juice, and espresso. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven.
Braise beef until tender, about 2 hours. Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to bowl and with 2 forks, shred the beef.
Take the juices and puree in blender (I use my Vitamix) or run through a food mill. Add the meat the milled sauce.
Return beef to pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Pasta: Cook in pot of salted boiling water until tender but still firm to bite. Use a pasta with ridges to adhere to sauce. Divide pasta among 12 shallow bowls, spoon meat sauce over, and serve, or serve in one large bowl.
Do ahead: Can be made 3 days ahead. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Rewarm before serving.
Garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley.