Braised Short Ribs

Who has time to cook anymore? Let alone for two hours??? Well, if for some reason you find a couple of hours of free time in your busy schedule, you MUST try this recipe. I found the braised short ribs recipe in a Cuisine at Home magazine (October 2005). I ommited a few of the ingredients from the original recipe and added a few extra ones. I also cut the recipe in half since there are only two of us. You will need a Dutch Oven for this recipe, but if you don't have one a large 4 to 6 quart pot with a lid will work, too. As always, follow these tips to make your cooking fun and easy.:

1. Always cut your veggies ahead of time
2. Get out all your ingredients, pre-measure them and have them ready to go before you start cooking
3. Get your pans or skillets out, pre-heat the oven (if necessary) and;
4. Make yourself a cocktail and and start cookin'

INGREDIENTS (serves 3)

• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1/2 cup carrot, diced
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 Bay leaf
• 2 Tablespoon Olive oil
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 lb. bone-in short ribs (about 6)
• 1 can (14oz) chicken stock
• 3/4 cup dry red wine, such as Mill Street Red
• 1/4 cup marsala, port or a sweet wine
• 1 Tablespoon A-1 Heinz Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
• 1 medium zip-lock bag

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat to 300 degrees.
2. Prepare onion, carrot, celery, tomato and garlic; set aside.
   
3. Combine flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a resealable plastic bag. Add short ribs, one at a time, and shake to coat evenly (reserve unused flour).
4. Heat one tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven or 4 to 6 qt. pot over medium heat. Add dredged short ribes, bone side up, and brown slowly, about 8 minutes. Turn ribs and brown the other side for another 8 minutes. Remove ribs from the pan and set aside; pour off all fat from the pot.
5. In the same pot, add another tablespoon of oil and saute (over medium-high heat) the carrots, onions, celery, bay leaf and garlic for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the tomatoes and saute for another minute. Add the reserved unused flour and stir until vegetables are coated, about one more minute.
6. Deglaze with chicken stock, wine, marsala, A-1 sauce, balsamic vinegar and bring to a simmer. Arrange ribs in sauce, bone side up, cover and braise in the 300 degree oven for 2 hours. If you are not using a Dutch oven, you can braise it over the stove top on medium-low heat for 2 hours. In the meantime, you can do your nails, or watch Napoleon Dynamite for the umpth time!
7. After two hours, taste the sauce for seasoning and adjust, if necessary (mine came out perfect and I didn't have to add anymore salt).
8. Serve the ribs and sauce over Gremolata pasta!

Wine recommendation: 2000 bottle of Benanti Rosso di Verzella. This is a Sicilian wine which is very hard to find, however I found it at 57 Degrees in Downtown, San Diego. This wine has concentrated aromas of blackberry and wild fruit with inviting hints of spice. In the mouth the wine is full, rich and warm, displaying ripe, juicy, vibrant fruit and soft, round tannins and it has a great velvety finish. This wine is ideal for braised meat or grilled meat dishes.