Short Ribs

My CSA meat share contained short ribs this season.  My local butcher also had some great ones, so I added them together and came up with this recipe.  Many of the veggies are from the local farms as well.  This recipe is best made in a Dutch oven.  The preparation is easy but the cooking takes some time.  Make this recipe when you will be home on a cold day and your belly will be warmed.  This makes enough for 6 adults.  I serve it over egg noodles.  I also use all organic ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 TBS to live oil

5 lbs beef short ribs 

Salt and pepper

1 large ion, large diced

5 carrot, diced into 1 inch pieces

5 celery stalks, cut into 1 inch pieces

4 garlic cloves, whole, skin removed

2 cups red wine

6 cups beef stock, organic and homemade preferred

1 28 oz can tomato purée

1 TBS Italian seasoning

2 bay leaves

Here's how:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat a large Dutch often on the stove with 1 TBS olive oil, until it gets glossy and hot.

Season the short ribs with salt and pepper on all sides.

Add the meat to the pan and brown on all sides, about 2 minutes per side.  You may need to do this in two batches to prevent steaming and get a good browning.

Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.

Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the pan where you browned the meat and sauté for 5 minutes.

Add the wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape off all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  This is where the flavor is.  Cook the wine down by half.

Add the tomatoes, stock, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, 1 TBS salt and 1 tsp pepper.  Stir to combine.

Nestle the meat into the sauce.

Place the lid on the pot and place it into the oven for 3 hours.

Check that the meat is tender and almost falling off the bones.  Remove it and set it aside.  Remove the bay leaves and skim off any fat that has accumulated at the top.

Using your immersion blender, blend the sauce until smooth to create a sauce.  This sauce can be served on top of noodles or it's poured over the meat.

Heat again on the stove to thicken, about 3 minutes.

Add the meat back in and serve.

Serve over egg noodles and with a great vegetable, like Brussels sprouts.