Braised Beef Short Ribs

Bon Appetit calls this recipe the new beef stew, I call it YUM.

Well, they also call it Zinfandel Braised Beef Short Ribs with Rosemary-Parsnip Mashed Potatoes. Funily enough, it comes from one of the issues that has many favorite recipes of ours, May 2009. We regularly make the Ragu, the Macaroni and Cheese, and sometimes the apple tartlettes. Those recipes, and my default short ribs recipe (the slow cooker is involved, as is bar-b-que sauce), might have something to do with why it took me so long to try these short ribs.

The prep is easy, brown the ribs,

 remove them, 

saute the onions, 

then the parsnips, 

then the garlic and rosemary, 

and then add the liquid and scrape the bottom. Return the ribs to the pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer.

Cover the pot, and stick the whole thing in the oven while you go do something else and enjoy the aromas that will soon penetrate your house. I did laundry. Lots and lots of laundry.

About 2 hours in, return to the kitchen and prepare the mash. Boil the parsnips and potatoes together, and heat the milk, butter, and rosemary mixture.

Prepare any sides you may have. We enjoyed this particular meal with a chopped vegetable salad and sauteed and roasted radishes and carrots.

After about 2 and a half hours, remove the beef ribs from the oven and poke them to see if they're done. They should be almost falling off the bone tender.

Remove the ribs from the pot (pot is HOT - we always have a hard time remembering this one), skim the fat, and simmer the sauce until it's a little thicker.

Taste your sauce and your mash and adjust seasoning accordingly.

Return the ribs to the sauce and let that whole thing simmer for a few more minutes. Then, finally, enjoy!

Braised Beef Short Ribs (adapted from Bon Appetit)

Serves 4, with sides, or 2, with some leftovers

Ingredients

Butter

4 to 6 beef short ribs, we used 4 because they were very thick 

1 1/2 cups chopped red onion

1 cup cubed parsnips (if you want parsnip pieces identifiable in the sauce, use a larger cube, closer to 1-inch; if not, use 1/2 inch)

2 to 3 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 heaping tablespoon fresh rosemary

375 ml (give or take a sip) Zinfandel (substitute beef broth if you don't want to use wine, but the flavor will be completely different)

1 cup reduced sodium or low-salt beef broth

2 teaspoons all purpose flour

Take the ribs out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes and ideally an hour before browning (not required, but helps). Preheat the oven to 375. Generously salt and pepper the ribs. In a large oven-safe stock pot, brown on all sides in a little bit of butter (1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon). Remove the ribs from the pot, and add a little more butter if needed. Sauté the onions until brown, then add parsnips and sauté until they being to color a little bit. Stir in the garlic and rosemary. Add the wine and the broth, scraping the bottom of the pan for those delicious brown bits. Bring the pot to a boil and return the ribs and their juices to it. Once the mixture is simmering, cover the pot and place it in the oven until the ribs are tender, about 2 and 1/2 hours, but they can stay in longer if they need more time or if you need more time preparing sides.

This is when you can go do laundry or something more fun than laundry as your house fills will enticing aromas.

Once ribs are tender and you have removed the VERY HOT pot from the oven, remove the ribs from the sauce. Spoon the fat from the pot, or use one of those strainer pourer fat separating things, just remember to add the onion and parsnips back to the pot. Boil the sauce until just beginning to thicken, then mix equal parts butter and flour (start with one tablespoon each) in a small bowl, making a smooth paste. In small amounts, add the butter-flour to the sauce, whisking after each addition, and evaluate the sauce consistency before adding more. Simmer until it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, or looks like it will cling to the meat when you serve it. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Return the ribs to the pot and spoon the sauce over.

(I'll post the mash recipe separately, I'm tired of typing and we have to go out to dinner.)