Braised Short Ribs

These are a take on Boeuf Bourguignon, a classic French preparation that turns an average (or cheap) cut of meat into something scrumptious.

These are delicious short ribs inspired by this recipe from the October 2006 Gourmet magazine. I'm serving as recommended with sauteed vegetables with bacon and the reduced & rustic braising sauce spooned over herb-buttered egg noodles.

Braised Short Ribs:
(serves 4)
2 lbs bone-in beef short ribs
1 tbs olive oil
4 large carrots, peeled, small dice
1 large onion, small dice
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 (14-oz) can whole peeled tomatoes in juice, pureed
1 1/2 c dry red wine
4 c beef stock (2 cans - use reduced sodium)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tbs red wine vinegar
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
Sea salt & fresh ground pepper as needed (to taste)

10 oz bag whole fresh pearl onions
2 tbs unsalted butter
1 tbs red wine vinegar
1 can reduced sodium chicken stock
4 carrots, peeled & cut on a bias
3 thick slices of bacon, julienned
8 oz button mushrooms, sliced

Directions:
Heat a 4-5 qrt stock pot or dutch oven. Add oil, heat until smoking but not burned. Pat dry short ribs with a paper towel.

Add ribs to pan, brown on all sides.

Remove ribs from pan, set aside on a plate.

Add carrots, onion & garlic to pan, saute until softened.

Add 1 cup of the pureed tomatoes, bring to a boil, then add 1.5 cups dry red wine. Bring to a boil until slightly thickened, then add bay leaf, thyme, salt & pepper, vinegar and stock and bring to a simmer. Add back beef and any juices on plate. Bring to a simmer then cover with lid or tightly with foil and put into oven.

Cook 4-5 hours or until tender and bone separates from the meat on its own.

At this stage, you can let the beef and sauce cool and then cover and refrigerate. Re-heat gently before serving. Remove beef from pan and keep warm. Strain the sauce, pressing on the solids. Reduce the sauce until thickened.

Meanwhile, saute pearl onions, then add carrots, vinegar and chicken stock and simmer, covered until vegetables are soft. Continue to boil until sauce is reduced (uncovered if neccesary). In another pan, saute bacon until beginning to crisp, the add muchrooms. Cook until mushrooms are soft, bacon is crisp and all liquid has evaporated from the pan. Add the bacon-mushroom mixture to the vegetables.

To serve, plate buttered/herbed egg noodles if you would like, then the beef, then spoon vegetables around the beef. Top with the strained and reduced sauce.