Braised short ribs are tasty and tender when cooked right, and I am crazy about great mole sauce, so this is my loosely interpreted version of those two combined. Plus, chocolate, chili and Cabernet are among my favorite things to eat/drink and putting them into one dish ensures deliciousness.
Slow-cooking and warming on a winter Sunday, I left these in the oven all afternoon while at a cookie exchange where I gave away 10 dozen of these in exchange for 10 dozen of a variety of cookies. Yum all the way around.
Braised Short Ribs with Chocolate, Chile & Cabernet Sauce:
(serves 2, can be easily doubled)
2 lbs beef short ribs, bone-in
2 tbs olive oil
4 cloves garlic
5 dried guajillo chilies, tops removed, seeds drained
1/2 cup hot water
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 celery ribs, chopped
2 cups beef broth
1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
1.5 cups good quality (drinkable) Cabernet
3-4 bunches thyme
4 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
4 oz dark chocolate, cut into rough chunks
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Heat oven to 250. Sear salt and peppered ribs in olive oil in a large stock pot or dutch oven until browned on all sides.
Meanwhile, combine guajillos, garlic and water in food processor, blend thoroughly.
Remove ribs from stock pot, saute onions and celery in remaining oil in same pot until softened.
Add thyme, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, salt and pepper, tomatoes (and juice), wine and chili puree (from food processor) to pot.
Bring to a simmer, add short ribs back in, cover pot and simmer for 4-6 hours, covered in 250 degree oven, until bones fall off and ribs are tender. Remove from oven, remove ribs from pot onto a plate, cover with foil to keep warm.
Then, strain sauce and remove all solids. You'll note I made a huge mess here while straining. This is home cooking, after all. :)
Simmer remaining strained liquid on high heat until reduced to a thickened sauce. Remove from heat, let stand for a few minutes and then stir in dark chocolate and ensure sauce is completely incorporated.
Plating:
Plate short ribs, top with sauce and perhaps a small garnish like parsley. Serve immediately.
7 comments:
This is a beautiful blog! I love chocolate braised with beef - it works so symbiotically with other ingredients! The Cranberry Vodka looks lovely too! I made some Sloe Gin as gifts for people and that looked so pretty with the purple berries bobbing around in it!
Have a wonderful Christmas!
Freya x
Hello, i've heard a lot about savory chocolate sauce...and got even recipes but have never tried doing it personnaly!
Thanks Freya, I apreciate you stopping by. Boozy presents are always fantastic! :)
Merry Christmas!
Relly, thank you for stopping by and yeah, the chocolate savory sauce is unique but so well loved in the Southwest that it makes its way into a lot of dishes. I LOVE it.
Hi, this recipe looks great, but I just want to clarify one thing: do you add the broth with the wine and the tomatoes? It's listed in the ingredients, but not in the instructions. Thanks!
Yes! That is an oversight. I add the broth in with the wine and tomatoes for the braising process. Thanks for noticing!
It can't work as a matter of fact, that's exactly what I consider.
Hi Kristen, my friends & I spent the afternoon yesterday following your lovely recipe. It worked beautifully & tasted absolutely incredible. The short ribs turned out so tender & the chocolate came through beautifully in the sauce, combined with the perfect amount of chilies. We even used your potato gratin recipe to go with the ribs. Deep fried some brussel sprouts and had an amazing tomato bocconcini salad with balsamic as well. Thanks so much for posting this, can't wait to try another one!
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