Pasta with Short rib Ragu with Northern Monk, Sup

Pasta bolognese is a staple of every student kitchen and everyone has their own "secret" ingredient or special way of delivering this economical and filling staple. However, it is a bit of a fraud: a pile of spagetti with a huge dollop of meat sauce on top is really not very authentic. In the spirit of this fraudulent behaviour, the recipe below has been written and cooked without any research or even a glance at an Italian cookbook. My secret ingredient is Watkin's Mushroom ketchup. This is not like tomato ketchup, this is not for dipping your chips in! It is a wonderfully savoury and acidic seasoning liquid with a lovely mushroom flavour. It is brilliant for braises. soups and sauces.

• 4 Beef short ribs
• A splash of oil
• 1 medium carrot (diced)
• 1 medium onion (diced)
• 1 celery stick (diced)
• Crushed garlic (as much as you dare)
• 1 tbsp of flour
• 1/2 bottle red wine (chef's decision on what you do with the rest)  
• 500ml beef stock
• Big handful of baby mushrooms
• 1 tin of plum tomatoes
• 1 splash of Watkins Mushroom ketchup
•  Hard Italian cheese (or a slab of cheddar is none is available)

Heat the oil in a casserole on the hob and pop in the short ribs through the flour to coat and then put in the casserole. Make sure each side is thoroughly browned to a nice crust. Remove the ribs to a plate and add the onions, carrots and celery to the pan, cook till everything is soft and just starting to take colour then add the garlic and cook for a couple more minutes. 

Return the ribs (and any left over flour) to the mix and pour in the wine, tomatoes and stock. Brink to the boil, turn down to a simmer and leave on the hob for a couple of hours, stirring every now and then.

After two hours your kitchen should smell amazing. Add the mushrooms and ketchup and continue with the simmer for another 30 minutes.

Remove the ribs from the liquid and pull out the bones - they have done their job. When the flesh is cool enough to touch pull the meat away from any gristle and pull it apart with two forks. Bring the liquid back to the boil to reduce a little. Then add the meat back into the liquid and cook for a few minutes more. Heat a large pan of water to the boil and add a big pinch of salt (I was once told the water should be as salty as the Mediterranean) When the water is at a rolling boil add some dried pasta (tagliatelle and papperdelle would be ideal). 

When the pasta is cooked, drain it then swiftly add the beef ragu. stir it all together. Serve with the cheese grated over the top and a twist of newly milled black pepper.

The Match

I have previously written about how much I admire Northern Monk Brewery and this was a beer of theirs that I had never tried. The beer itself is a light golden ale coming in a 3.4% alcohol. There was a tiny hint of citrus on the nose back up by some floral tones. The body was light though nicely carbonated and a soft malt spine held the whole thing together. This is going to sound strange but it would be the perfect match for this meal if it was an early evening dinner; it would probably need to be replaced by something richer if it were to be a late night supper. I offer no rational flavour explanation for this and no excuse either.

Viet Nam / Thai spring rolls and Queer Brewing Flower

These little spring rolls are not very authentic, or at least, they are of mixed authenticity! Further to this, I have deliberately written the recipe to be vague as they should be made to your taste and precision is not an issue here. They can be served as part of a flight of canapes or as a starter; I have even served them as a lunch in their own right. They can be hot, spicy, mellow, salty, sweet or sour and any combination of these. 

The wraps are available in some supermarkets and most Asian shops. You should look for the ones that seem to have woven pattern all over them. In essence they are dried rice paper discs and they come in various sizes to suit how you wish to serve them. The ones I used were on the smaller size, perfect for little snacks. 

Rice paper wraps before re-hydration

• Rice paper wraps
• Carrot (sliced into fine "julienne"
• Cucumber (middle removed and sliced into fine "julienne")
• Spring onions (sliced into fine "julienne")
• Bean sprouts
• Cooked White crab meat (or prawns, or lobster, or anything you fancy)
• Red chilli (finely diced)
• Soy sauce
• Nam Pla (fish sauce)
• Toasted sesame oil

Put all of the ingredients except the wraps in a bowl, adding enough of the ingredients as you fancy (be a little careful with the liquid ingredients - you don't want soup). Pop this in the fridge for an hour or so for the ingredients to be properly introduced to each other.

In a frying pan, or pie dish, pour a little warm water. Slide in your first wrap and wait for a few minutes until it is slippery and very flexible. Place this on a board as flat as you can manage. Put a little of your mix towards the top of the wrap in the shape of a cylinder and wrap towards you tucking the ends in half way. You should now have a spring roll.

Serve with a sweet chilli sauce or a mixture of soy sauce and honey to dip.

The Match

Queer brewing is a queer-owned brewery providing visibility and representation for LGBTQ+ people. It was founded in 2019 and they have done over 50 collaborations in 5 countries. Flowers is a Witbier and as such wheat makes up a large part of the grain bill. Like a Belgium Wit, it contains both orange and coriander and these are both present without overwhelming the wheat and malt spine. It is naturally cloudy and has a soft gentle mouthfeel. This really is a very well made beer. It handled the spice and the richness of the dish without ever being overbearing. I was delighted with it as a pairing.