Short Ribs

 

I promised you short ribs a few posts back and I think (given my political turn of the last few days) that this is a needed change of subject!  Of course the short ribs are local and grass fed - even kosher.   After years of not eating Cow I've discovered New York Beef at the Union Square Market and, as I've mentioned before, they sell kosher beef.  Therefore every now and again I splurge.

The recipe for these is basic with a few improvisational touches that really worked!

I started off with the usual Mirepoix: 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, an onion quartered, a bunch of herbs (I used about 8 branches of Thyme and Rosemary) a bay leaf - all sauteed in olive oil for about 5 minutes until it's wilted but not brown.  Then I added 3 large tomatoes chopped roughly and cooked over medium heat for another 5 or so minutes.

Most recipes call for stock to be added at this point and a little dry red wine, but I didn't have any stock so I used 2 cups of water and a cup of dried Porcini and about a cup of old sweet wine from Passover - a local concord grape wine in the spirit of, but not, Manischewitz.   I also added a cinnamon stick to the mix which I thought added a lovely gentle sweetness; Neil found it vaguely disconcerting.

I seared the meat in the oven at 500F for 20 minutes (rib side up) and took them out and drained off any fat that had accumulated at the bottom of the pan.   I added the braised aromatics to the baking dish and then placed the meat on top, covered it all with tin foil and cooked it at 350F  for about 2 - 2 1/2 hours.

When the meat was oh so tender and falling off the bone I removed it from the pan and took the cooked aromatics and all the accumulated beef juices and put them through a fine sieve creating a sauce that I put back into the baking pan.  I seasoned it well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of cayenne.  Feel free to add a little water if it's too thick. 

The mushrooms added a wonderful richness and made me realize what a great substitute they are for beef stock if you don't have any.

The cinnamon made me wish I had some apricot chutney to serve on the side.

Garnish the short ribs with a generous sprinkling of fresh Thyme and Rosemary.  

This dish really needs some baked or mashed potatoes on the side to soak up all the yummy-ness of the sauce. Of course really good bread works as well.