Braised Short Ribs
8 meaty short ribs, or as many as needed
Coarse salt and black pepper
Flour for dredging
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
2 to 3 large carrots, peeled, trimmed, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 medium to large sized beet, peeled, coarsely cubed
4 cloves garlic, peeled, cut in half
1 large sprig fresh rosemary
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 star anise
1/3 cinnamon stick
2 to 3 bay leaves, depending on size
1 Tbsp peppercorns
2 to 4 cups beef broth
1/2 bottle good quality red wine
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 to 2 cups tomato juice
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 to 2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Preheat the oven to 325F.
2 Trim any excess fat from the short ribs. Season the ribs with salt and pepper and dredge with flour. Put 4 Tbsp oil in a large sauté skillet set over medium high heat. Shake off excess flour from the ribs and sear until nicely browned on all sides. Brown the ribs in batches to avoid overcrowding. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
3 If necessary, add a little oil to the skillet. Add the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the beets and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the thyme, rosemary, star anise, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, and peppercorns and sauté until aromatic, about 1 minute.
4 Put the ribs and vegetables in a large Dutch oven or other suitable casserole dish. The pot or casserole dish must have a lid that seals well. Add some of the beef broth to the skillet to deglaze the pan and then add the liquid to the Dutch oven. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. This is where you have to decide how much broth, wine, and tomato juice to use. If you have more than 8 ribs, you will need more liquid so adjust the recipe accordingly. Nestle the ribs in the broth. The meat and vegetables should be covered by about one inch of liquid. Bring all the ingredients to a quick boil.
5 Cover and transfer the Dutch oven to the oven to braise for 3 hours or until the meat is fall off the bone tender. Remove from the oven and carefully transfer the ribs to a plate. Cover the ribs with foil to keep them warm. Put layers of cheesecloth in a colander, strain the broth from the vegetables, and discard the vegetables. Remove any excess fat from the broth if necessary. Reduce the broth until it is syrupy but not as thick as gravy. Alternately, thicken the gravy with a little flour slurry. Adjust for salt if necessary. Return the ribs to the broth, cover, and keep warm in the oven until serving. Sprinkle with chopped parsley or gremolata and serve with mashed potatoes on the side.
Gremolata
Finely grated zest from 1 lemon
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1 to 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
|