Cabernet Braised Short Ribs

By tulawdog

Ingredients

• Ribs
• 8-9 pounds meaty short ribs
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresk thyme, minced
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup (about) vegetable or olive oil
• 2 - 750 ml bottles of Cabernet Sauvingnon
• 2-4 cups beef stock (this will depend on the size and shape of the pot you use, you will need enough to just about cover the ribs with liquid)
• 2 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
• Meyer Lemon Herb Gremolata
• 1/4 cup chopped italian parsley
• 3 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel, meyer lemon if it is in season
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons finely minced rosemary
• 2 tablespoons finely minced thyme
• Mushroom Risotto
• 12-16 cups canned low sodium chicken broth
• 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, divided (one stick)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 5-6 shallots, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh mushrooms, chopped (I used a mix of white and baby bellas)
• 3 cups arborio rice
• 1 1/3 cup white wine
• 1 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup italian parsley, chopped
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

These are great made a day early and chilled overnight. This allows you to to skim some of the hardened fat off the top to produce a less greasy pan sauce, but are just as good made the day of.

The day before cooking the ribs, season the ribs on all sides with the rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper and place in a large glass baking dish. Cover and chill overnight.

Let ribs stand at room temp before continuing. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large dutch oven, heat two tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add short ribs to pot in a single layer, turning about every 2 minutes to brown all sides. Place browned ribs in large bowl, and add more oil to pot as needed to brown all the ribs. Once all ribs have been seared, pour off drippings from pot and return to medium heat. Add the wine, scraping up and browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring wine to a simmer, then return the ribs and any accumulated juices to the pot. Add enough beef stock to almost cover the ribs. Bring to a boil, then cover and transfer pot to oven.

If making these the day of consumption, cook for about 3-3.5 hours, until meat is incredibly tender and falling off the bone.

If making the day before, cook for about 2.5 hours, then let cool, cover, and chill overnight. The following day, skim some of the congealed fat off the top and return to 375 degree oven for another hour to and hour and a half, until the meat is tender and falling off the bone.

When ribs are done, remove meat and bones from pot, place in a tightly covered bowl and keep warm. Skim any fat from the top of the liquid, and bring to simmer over medium high heat on the stovetop. Boil until reduced to about 2 cups, about 20 minutes. Mix together butter and flour in a bowl until well combined, and whisk into simmering braising liquid. Continue whisking over medium-high heat until thickened slightly, about 2 minutes.

Plate ribs next to, or on top of the risotto, topped with sauce and the mixed herb gremolata.

Meyer Lemon Herb Gremolata

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Can be made one day in advance, but I would recommend making it the day of so the citrus is at its freshest.

Mushroom Risotto


Bring the broth to a simmer in a large saucepan or small stockpot. Add the dried porcini mushrooms, reduce heat, and keep the broth warm over very low heat while you cook the risotto. The mushrooms will flavor the broth as they steep.

In a large heavy pot, melt two tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil. Add the shallots and saute until tender, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic, and saute for another 2-3 minutes.

Stir in the rice, and let cook until the rice toasts a bit and becomes slightly translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the wine and cook until it has absorbed, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low, and add 1 cup of hot broth, stirring rice very frequently until broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1 cup at a time and stirring, until rice is just al dente. This should take about 30-40 minutes, and you may not need all the broth.

While rice is cooking, remove the porcini mushrooms from broth with slotted spoon, chop, and set aside. Heat two tablespoons of butter and one tablespoon of live oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fresh mushrooms and porcini mushrooms and saute until mushrooms are slightly browned, 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover to keep warm and set aside.

When rice reaches the al dente stage, remove from heat and stir in remaining 1/2 stick of butter, parmesan cheese, mushrooms, and parsley.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add some roasted carrots for good measure and you have yourself a meal.