Short Rib Bolognese

Sauce:
Salt and pepper the ribs.

Put a small amount of oil in your dutch oven, heat up on medium high, and add the short ribs in batches. Deeply brown on all sides, trying to render most of the fat, then move to a plate. Turn off the heat and remove the fat to a bowl. Put back 3 tablespoons.

Combine onion, celery, carrot, a pinch of salt, and the butter in the pan with fat and cook over medium heat until onion turns pale gold.

Deglaze with the wine or broth.

Stir in the tomatoes and paste. Add some garlic powder and basil to taste. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

Temper your milk, then add it to the mixture. Add the meat back into the pan.

Cover your pan and move it to a 325 F oven.

Cook for 3-4 hours, until the meat is starting to pull away from the bones.

Check at 2 hours, then 1 hour intervals. If the sauce gets too dry just add 1/4 cup of water and scrape up any browned bits.

Turn the heat off and let the sauce cool a bit. Continue now or put the Dutch oven in the refrigerator and continue the next day.

Pull the meat and bones out onto a plate. Shred the meat, discard the bones, pull out any large chunks of fat and discard.

Put the meat and any sauce back in the Dutch oven.
Add milk or cream as desired, keeping in mind it is meant to be thick. Cook on low until hot, while preparing your pasta. Taste and adjust flavor as needed.

Serving:
Cook your pasta until just done. Now you have a couple of options.

One (the traditional method), reserve a small amount of pasta water when you drain. Put some of the bolognese and the pasta water back in the pot with the noodles, turn heat back on, and simmer just until thoroughly coated and thickened.

Two, my preferred method, drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Pour in just enough white sauce to coat. Serve pasta and spoon bolognese over the top. I prefer this method because of how rich this bolognese is. You don't really need very much of it on your pasta.

Put extra sauce in a jar and use within 1 week.