Short Ribs with Red Wine & (Port)

Short Ribs with Red Wine (& Port)
From Bonnie Stern Friday Night Dinners

Hands on time: 20 minutes
Braising in the oven time: 2½ -3 hours

The original recipe serves 8 so I cut it down to serve 4 and the ingredients reflect that.

Ingredients:
2.2lb/1 kg short ribs (I like them cut across the bones, about 1” thick, Bonnie likes them cut length-wise or in large chunks)
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 carrot, diced
½ cup Port or dry red wine
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup beef stock, chicken broth or water
1/4 cup demi glace (optional, so I left it out…maybe next time)
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:
1. Pat short ribs dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. I actually leave the salt out at this point in the recipe.

2. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven at medium high heat. Add the short ribs in batches and sear on all sides. Remove meat from the pan. This process will take 5-6 minutes per batch. (about 10-15 minutes in total)

3. To speed up the chopping time, I just drop the garlic down the feeding tube of my food processor and then add quartered onions and carrots cut into 2-3” pieces to the bowl and pulse until they are chopped.

4. Add the onions, garlic, carrots to the Dutch oven and a little more oil only if you need it. Sauté until the onions are slightly browned and tender, about 10 minutes. Add port or ½ cup of red wine and thyme sprigs and cook for about 5 minutes or until the liquid is reduced to less than ¼ cup. Add the rest of the wine and bring it to a boil, cooking for another 5 minutes. Add the broth (and demi glace if you are using it).

5. Return the ribs to the pan (I actually stood them with the bone side up so they would all fit in the delicious sauce). The liquid should come half-way up the meat. Cover the ribs with parchment paper and then with a tight lid or heavy foil.

6. Cook them in a preheated oven at 350°F/180°C for 2 ½ to 3 hours or longer. The ribs will be “meltingly” (Bonnie’s word).

7. Remove the meat from the pan. Strain the juices and remove fat. If the juices are not reduced enough, boil on top of the stove. Return the ribs to the pan and reheat thoroughly.

Serve with sprinkled parsley. Bonnie suggests serving with smashed potatoes and I can’t think of a better option to sop up all that delicious gravy. Unless you go with buttery, garlicy pasta with more parsley.