Italian braised short ribs
Ok, I can’t promise you fast on this one. But I can promise tons of flavor and the perfect Sunday dinner. Italian braised short ribs is comfort food at its best. This one is in my One Pot of the Day cookbook.
Serve it over a pile of mashed potatoes or creamy polenta. Enjoy!
XO, km
THE DISH:
Italian braised short ribs | serves 6-8
THE STUFF:
2 Tbsp AP flour
Kosher S+P
5 lbs beef short ribs, English cut
1/4 cup EVOO
1 oz pancetta, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 carrots, chopped
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp sugar
1 cup dry red wine
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs thyme leaves
THE HOW-TO:
On a plate, combine the flour, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Turn the ribs in the flour, shaking off excess flour.
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat 3 Tbsp EVOO over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear and brown the ribs on all sides. Transfer to a plate.
Add the pancetta to the pot and sauté until mostly crisp, 4-5 minutes. Add the onion, the remaining 1 Tbsp EVOO and season with S+P. Sauté until onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 more minute. Add the carrots, tomato paste and sugar and cook, stirring until well blended, about 1 minute. Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the tomatoes with all the juices, broth, balsamic vinegar, bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil.
Transfer the pan to the oven and cook, covered, until the ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender, 2 - 2 1/2 hours.
Remove the short ribs to a plate. Let the cooking liquid sit for 10 minutes. Skim as much fat off as you can. From here you have two options. 1. Discard the bay leaves and serve the sauce as is, with all the veggies in the sauce. 2. Strain the sauce and return it to the saucepan. Put on high heat and reduce to about 1 cup. Stir in 1-2 tablespoons of butter.
Serve (either version of the sauce) ladled over the ribs and on a pile of creamy polenta or mashed potatoes.