Beef Short Ribs with Lemon Parmesan Pasta

Ingredients

• tomato paste, to taste (for the short rib marinade)
• olive oil, to taste (for the marinade)
• short ribs
• paprika, to taste
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• cumin, to taste
• oregano, to taste
• garlic powder, to taste
• Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning, to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (for browning the short ribs)
• about 1/2 cup beef broth
• rigatoni
• 1 tablespoon butter (for the sauce)
• garlic, minced, chopped, or sliced
• onions
• mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (for the sauce)
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (depending on how creamy you want it)
• garlic powder, to taste (for the sauce)
• salt, to taste (for the sauce)
• onion powder, to taste (for the sauce)
• Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning, to taste (for the sauce)
• about 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
• Parmesan cheese, to taste (fresh preferred)
• garnishes, to taste

How to Make It

1. Add tomato paste to a bowl, drizzle in some olive oil, and mix it in well.
2. Add the short ribs to the bowl.
3. Season the short ribs with paprika, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and Slap Ya Mama.
4. Drizzle a little more olive oil over the top to help blend the seasonings in.
5. Mix until the short ribs are well coated.
6. Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
7. Place the short ribs in the hot skillet and brown them on each side (just browning, not cooking through).
8. Transfer the short ribs to a glass baking dish.
9. Add about 1/2 cup of beef broth to the pan.
10. Cover the pan and bake at 350°F for about 1 hour.
11. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles for about 9 to 12 minutes.
12. Drain the noodles and shock them in cold water, then set aside while you make the sauce.
13. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a cast iron skillet and mix it in well.
14. Add the garlic and onions and sauté them down well.
15. Add the mushrooms and sauté for about 3 to 4 minutes.
16. Add about 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and blend it in until the paste and vegetables are well combined, a couple of minutes.
17. Pour in 1 to 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream, depending on how creamy you want it.
18. Season with garlic powder, salt, onion powder, Slap Ya Mama, and about 1 teaspoon of lemon pepper.
19. Stir to combine and bring the sauce to a bubble.
20. Once the sauce starts to thicken, stir in the Parmesan cheese.
21. Add the noodles back to the pot and toss to coat (add more cream if there isn't enough sauce for the noodles).
22. Pull the short ribs from the oven after the hour and chop them down to your desired size.
23. Place the chopped short ribs on top of the pasta and mix in.
24. Add your garnishes and serve.

Curtis's Tips

• You don't have to mince the garlic — I just chop it, slice it, or mince it. It's up to you.
• Heavy cream is flexible: a cup to a cup and a half depending on how creamy you want it and how many noodles you have. Sometimes you just underestimate, so start with a cup and add more.
• If there isn't enough sauce compared to the noodles, just add more cream.
• For the oven, use a cast iron skillet, or whatever oven-safe pan you've got is fine.
• Go easy on the lemon pepper — about a teaspoon, because it's pretty spicy. You can use regular Cajun seasoning instead if you'd rather, and be careful with the Slap Ya Mama too.
• Use fresh Parmesan if you can — the packaged stuff works, but fresh Parmesan melts a lot better.
• Brown the short ribs only — we're not cooking them all the way through, just getting them brown on each side.
• Chop the short ribs as small or as large as you like before adding them to the pasta.