A great winter comfort food. Perfect for when there's snow on the ground, a fire in the hearth, and some short ribs in the fridge or freezer demanding to be attended to. Not that you need an excuse to make this.
These braised short ribs are adapted from this NYT Cooking recipe, (see below for those who cannot access the link.)
The soubise recipe is adapted from my Wine Braised Beef with Garlic Soubise post from last year, with the simple addition of 1 lb. of sautéed mushrooms and 1 lb. of fresh spinach which is allowed to wilt prior to putting the pot in the oven.
Adding the mushrooms and wilting the spinach in the onion and rice mixture
Just before adding the seared short ribs back into the pan
Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
5 lbs bone-in short ribs, at least 1 1/2 inches thick
Ssalt and Pepper
2 large heads garlic, halved crosswise
1 medium onion, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
3 tbsp tomato paste
375 mL dry red wine
2 cups beef stock, plus more as needed
4 sprigs thyme
Cilantro or parsley
½ cup finely chopped chives
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
Method
Heat oven to 275°F.
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season short ribs with salt and pepper. Working in batches, as needed, sear the ribs on all sides until deeply browned, 6 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer browned short ribs to a plate and continue with remaining ribs.
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of remaining fat, leaving the browned bits behind. Reduce heat to medium, and add garlic, cut side down and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add onion, celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables are softened but not yet browned, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until tomato paste has started to caramelize a bit on the bottom of the pot, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add red wine and scrape up any caramelized bits, simmering for 2 to 3 minutes. Add beef stock and thyme. Return short ribs and juices to the pot, making sure they are well submerged, adding more stock as needed. Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to oven.
Cook until ribs are meltingly tender and falling off the bone about 3½ to 4 hours.
Remove ribs from the pot to a large plate with a slotted spoon or tongs, taking care to keep them intact and on the bone.
Strain the sauce and remove most of the fat
Plate the ribs on top of or alongside the mushroom and spinach Soubise, pour over sauce and scatter cilantro, chives and lemon zest over the top of the short ribs.