Braised Beef Shank Fettuccine

Tired of the plain old pasta dishes with tomato sauce? Be culinary adventurous making a beefy pasta packed with flavors! This recipe may have more cooking steps then usual, but you'll be surprised that the process is easy to follow. Season some meat, brown it, sauté some vegetables, add some liquid, then slowly cook it. Toss with pasta and voila, Beef Shank Fettuccine!

Please Note: I suggested in the ingredient list that you use 1 1/2 tablespoons of Italiano Pronto. 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon. I use the seasoning in 1 teaspoon increments. 2 pinches for me = 1/2 teaspoon.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ Tablespoons Italiano Pronto Seasoning Blend
3 Pounds beef shank (3 shanks, 1 pound each)
3 Carrots, diced about 1/2 inch
2 Stalks celery, diced
1 Large white onion, diced
1 Small stem fresh rosemary
1 Small can tomato paste
1 Cup white wine
½ Cups half & half (or whole milk)
1 Large clove of garlic, diced
2 Pinches salt and fresh cracked pepper
3 Cups beef broth

DIRECTIONS:

The missing ingredients in this photo are: broth, garlic and pasta. I used organic everything for this recipe. Total cost of ingredients was less than $45, and it served 4 people with left overs.

Use a couple pinches of Italiano Pronto on each side of the shank. Let them sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before browning so that the herbs and spices have time to release the flavors.

Chop the onions, carrots and celery about in 1/2" chunks. They will be blended into the final sauce so don't worry about chopping them perfectly. You can even leave the skin on the carrots.

Place your dutch oven over high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once the oil is close to smoking, add the beef shanks and brown on all sides. Usually about 3 minutes per side.

This is how they should look. After you browned all sides, remove the beef shanks from the dutch oven and set aside. Keep the heat on medium to high underneath the dutch oven because you have to cook the vegetables next.

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Don't mind about all the charred little bits and pieces. They will intensify more flavor once you add the wine and deglaze the cooking pot. Make sure your pot is large enough for everything!

Add 1 more tablespoon of olive oil, the vegetables, 1 small stem of rosemary, and 1 teaspoon of Italiano Pronto.

Cook down the vegetables for about 8 minutes then add 1 cup of a good dry white wine. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with your spoon to release the charred bits of goodness. Reduce by 50%.

Next add the tomato paste and mix well. Add the second teaspoon of Italiano Pronto blend.

Now you need to add the half & half and the beef broth. The half & half may look like it's breaking down into small pieces but that's okay. Just blend it well into the wine, tomato and veggie mixture.

Add the broth, then bring the pot to boil. Once boiling, cover the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer. Set your timer for 2 hours, making sure to stir the contents in the pot time to time.

After about 2 hours of cooking, check to see if the meat is falling off the bone. If so, remove the shanks to a cutting board and use 2 forks to shred/pull the meat apart (shown in picture).

After you shred the meat, take the sauce remaining in your pot and add it to a blender or a food mill. I prefer a food mill but use what you have. Pour the blended sauce back to your cooking pot.

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Add the meat back to the sauce, bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer while the pasta is cooking. Taste the sauce. Add the 3rd teaspoon of Italian Pronto blend if you desire along with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Take a couple ladles full of the meat sauce, and pour it to a large sauté pan. Add the pasta and gently toss them to mix. (This pasta was fresh and gluten free. So this is great for GF diets too.)

Once the meat sauce and pasta is mixed evenly, add some freshly grated parmesan and some freshly chopped parsley for garnish. Toss and serve immediately!

Enjoy! This recipe really is simple to make. I promise that you, as well whomever you're feeding, will think this came straight from the best Italian restaurant in your city! It is THAT GOOD!