Beef Short Ribs Braised in a Bottle of Wine

December 16, 2015
Food,Recipes

There are some recipes that I’ve made so many times, that they morph and seem to get better and better each time despite never measuring any ingredients or writing down any of the variations. I originally got this recipe from Suzanne Goin’s Lucques cookbook but I’ve made a few changes to it and have been cooking it this way ever since. That’s the thing I love about cooking– editing as you go along! The ribs are braised in an entire bottle of wine that is reduced into this thick flavorful reduction that goes so well with the fatty richness of the beef short ribs. Of course, you must serve this with the best mashed potatoes ever. I know that’s a bold claim but these are some bold potatoes. They’re no Robuchon potatoes, but they also don’t have a pound of butter in them. They’re pretty fantastic if you ask me and the combination of the fall-apart ribs with creamy potatoes is what winter dreams are made of!

Braised short ribs with mashed potatoes

Short ribs braised in wine

Short ribs

Wine

Searing short ribs

Braised short ribs

Parsley

Braised short ribs

Braised short ribs with mashed potatoes

Short ribs braised in wine

INGREDIENTS:

  • 6 pounds of beef short ribs, bone in
  • 1 bundle of fresh thyme
  • 1 bottle of red wine
  • 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
  • about 1 1/2 quart of beef stock
  • 5 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced finely
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and diced finely
  • 2 stalks of celery trimmed, diced finely
  • 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
  • few sprigs of fresh flat leaf parsley
  • 2 bay leaves
  • sea or kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 bundles of kale, center removed and torn into large pieces
  • 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil or other flavor neutral oil

DIRECTIONS:

  • The night before serving, rub the ribs with about 3 tablespoons of fresh thyme leaves and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Refrigerate overnight.
  • Remove the ribs from the refrigerator and leave at room temperature at least an hour before cooking. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  • In a large heavy Dutch oven, heat the grapeseed oil over medium high heat. Heavily season each side of the ribs with sea or kosher salt.
  • Sear the ribs, a few at a time so as to not crowd the pot, until browned well on all sides. Transfer ribs to a plate.
  • Sauté the onions, carrots and celery over medium heat in the same pot and cook until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and tomato paste and sauté about 2-3 minutes longer.
  • Deglaze the pot with the bottle of wine and balsamic vinegar, using a wooden spoon to lift up the bits of meat on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat and simmer until the wine reduces in half. Add the ribs (in a single layer of you can) to the pot, pouring any juices on the plate over the ribs, and add a couple more sprigs of thyme and bay leaves to the top. Add the
    beef stock until the ribs are just covered. Add the parsley on top, cover the pot tightly with foil, place the lid over the foil and bake for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours until the beef is tender and falls apart easily.
  • Remove the ribs and strain the remaining liquid through a strainer, pushing on the vegetables to extract more juice. Transfer the beef/wine liquid to a pot, bring to a simmer and add the kale and cook until the kale has wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve the ribs over creamy potatoes and ladle the beef wine juice with kale over the ribs.

(images by HonestlyYUM)

Conversation

I would like to print this pastry square recipe how do I do that

Braised short ribs in wine, with creamy mashed potatoes on the side?! Yes please! I know what I’ll be making this cold, wintry, rainy weekend! So, so beautiful!

I’ve never done short ribs but have been meaning to try, this looks divine! So comforting especially in combination with the mashed potato..

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