No huge narrative for this one. On Friday night, The Wife and I discussed what to have for dinner. The Kid was still sick, it was snowing out and neither one of us felt like trekking out to procure anything. She wanted “comfort food,” which was defined by her as macaroni and cheese from Panera Bread. Since Panera doesn’t deliver in Syracuse (yet) and The Wife wasn’t going to go out, we were left with pizza.

On Saturday, I made amends.

For me, comfort food means braising, but to meet The Wife somewhere in the middle I went with a beef ragout over gnocchi. If cooking a chuck roast so long that the fat melts off and it shrinks to half its original size isn’t comfort food, then I don’t know what is.

WHAT WORKED: First, fresh pasta. If you can find a fresh gnocchi (either in the dairy case or or the shelf stable variety), get it. Frozen will work, but they tend to be grittier and cook rather inconsistently.

WHAT DIDN’T: I erred on the side of caution with the wine and stock. I could have cut one back by half. No harm, n0 foul, but I would serve the solids over the pasta and measure out the liquid rather than dumping everything over the top of the pasta.

WHAT DID THE WIFE SAY: “This. This is really good.” She said it with a mouthful of food while mopping up the sauce with a piece of bread.

WILL IT MAKE ANOTHER APPEARANCE: Yeah, why not. The next time The Wife beckons for comfort food, this will be in the lineup.

Slow-Cooked Beef Ragout with Gnocchi

By Jared Paventi

3 tbsp. canola oil, divided

2 lb. chuck roast, cut into six or seven pieces

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 carrots, trimmed, peeled and diced

2 celery hearts, diced

small onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups red wine (I used a Yellow Tail shiraz)

2 cups beef stock

28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes in juice, crushed by hand

2 tbsp. tomato paste

herbes de provence

2 lbs. potato gnocchi (fresh preferably, frozen if you have no other option)

In a large Dutch oven or other oven-safe pan, bring 2 tbsp. of oil to a shimmer over high heat. Add the meat to the pan and brown on all sides. You want a deep, brown paper bag color on all of the meat. It’s okay if the chunks of meat fall apart. Transfer the meat to a bowl and let stand.

If necessary, add the remaining oil to the pan. Add the onion to the pan and toss to coat in whatever grease. Cook until the onions soften and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and celery, and cook until the carrots become fragrant, about 5 more minutes. Add the garlic and toss with the vegetables, cooking until fragrant.

Add the wine and stock, using a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan. Add the tomatoes and liquid to the pan, along with the tomato paste and herbs. Bring the liquid to a boil. Transfer the meat and any accumulated juices to the pan and return to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook 3 hours.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a bowl. With two large forks, pull the beef apart and shred into fork-sized pieces. Return to the pan and leave the lid off.

Bring a large saucepan of water to boil. Salt liberally, and cook the pasta per the package’s directions. Drain and immediately transfer to a serving bowl. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the solids of the sauce to the pasta bowl. Once all of the solids are transferred, use a solid spoon to transfer some liquid to the bowl. Serve immediately with grated Pecorino Romano cheese and crusty bread.