The Results and the Next Challenge - Day 4

Yesterday was a great day!  The condo smelled like meat braising in red wine for the most part of the day, it was delightful!  The recipe, as I mentioned in a previous post, was simple enough to be put together even by the most inexperienced cook.  It all went down pretty good, except that when it was time to reduce the remainder of my sauce in order to obtain 2 cups, I already had less than 2 cups to work with.  But seeing that the consistency of the sauce was quite nice, I did not bother to let it reduce.

The sauce was in fact velvety, creamy and decadent!  My ribs were fantastic, however, make sure you get a nice cut of meat, with enough fat, but not too much.  I have to say mine were a little fatty, but I love fat, so it was all good for me.  Rama had to push some pieces aside though (that I ate behind his back before cleaning up the plates!)...  I told you I love fat!

So in honor of that great and easy recipe from Chef Ken Frank of La Toque in Napa Valley, here it is:

Easy Short Ribs Braised in Red Wine

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 large celery rib, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• One 750-milliliter bottle dry red wine
• 2 cups veal or chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Four 2-inch-thick, flanken-cut short ribs with bone (2 3/4 pounds)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Buttered egg noodles, for serving 

1. In a large, enameled cast-iron casserole, melt the butter. Add the onion, celery and carrot, cover and cook over moderate heat until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until the vegetables are lightly browned, about 3 minutes longer. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Add the wine and veal stock and bring to a simmer.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet until shimmering. Season the ribs with salt and pepper, add them to the pan and cook over moderately high heat, turning, until they are well browned, about 15 minutes.
3. Transfer the short ribs to the casserole. Partially cover and cook over moderately low heat until very tender, about 2 hours.
4. Transfer the ribs to a plate and remove the bones. Strain the sauce into a heatproof measuring cup and skim off the fat. Return the sauce to the casserole and boil until reduced to 2 cups, 10 minutes. Return the meat to the sauce and simmer over low heat until heated through. Serve the ribs with egg noodles. 

Easy Short Ribs Braised in Red Wine

I served mine with sauteed kale for extra greens.  It's easy too.  You sauté kale in olive oil, until starting to soften, then you add 2-3 minced cloves of garlic, the juice of a small lemon and salt and pepper.  It's a great side dish for any meat recipe, it's easy and kale is considered a super food.

Another great thing about this recipe, and red wine slow-cooked meat in general, you can make the recipe up to five days in advance and refrigerate the meat in the sauce until ready to eat.  Reheat gently in the oven.

On to my next challenge now.  It's Friday.  I want to take it easy, like probably most of you.  And for me easy = pasta!  So in keeping with the Italian flavored issue of Food & Wine for October, I will prepare Pasta all'Amatriciana.  I will serve the Big Italian Salad as an appetizer/side dish.  Buono appetito!