Summertime Hot and Sunny...So Why Am I Craving Short Ribs???

July 8, 2016

       I have no idea why, as it’s not winter and it is the middle of summer, hot and blasting as Arizona does from time to time, but I have been thinking about short ribs. Brown crunchy outsides, fall off the bone tender, succulent short ribs, with mashed potatoes.  And you know how the universe sometimes looks your way and smiles?  Well, that’s what happened.  They went on sale for $3.99 a pound, and I was on them like a hound on a rabbit! 

       So pulled out the cassoulet dutch oven, and just finished with a big pot on the stove. Needs to simmer for 2-3 hours, but that’s okay because these are for tomorrow night, not tonight. Tonight it’s El Gato Azul tapas, while listening to our just returned from Austin friend Kaileena and her drummer Dan for some great tunes, outdoors on the patio in the heavenly Prescott summer night air.  This is living…and delayed gratification for those ribs tomorrow!!

As a repeat with leftovers, put a can of sauerkraut into a heavy pot, rinsing prior to using. Put in 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, and a little salt, ½ of a small diced onion, along with some warm water and cook for a couple minutes.  Put in the leftover ribs, and cook until all ingredients are hot and ready to go. Add salt and pepper as needed. Served with mashed potatoes, this is a recipe that brings back yummy memories from my childhood and is fabulous on a cold winter’s night.

Braised Short Ribs

Ingredients
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 beef short ribs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil (I like garlic or tuscan herb flavored, but any will do)

2 Tablespoons butter
3 carrots, diced
2 shallots, finely minced
1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic finely minced
1 ½ c. red wine

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 box of beef broth or stock (about 4 cups)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary

I cook these in a heavy duty dutch oven on top of the stove.  However, once browned and all ingredients added, you can just put them in a preheated oven at 325 degrees F.

Salt and pepper the ribs, then dredge them in the flour. Set aside.

In a large Dutch oven, add the olive oil and butter to the pan and raise the heat to high. Brown the ribs on all sides, about 45 seconds per side. Remove the ribs and set aside.
Lower the heat to medium. Add the carrots, shallots and onions to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Splash in the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to release all the flavorful fond. Add the broth, the worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper and bring to a boil. Taste and add more salt if needed. Add the thyme and rosemary sprigs (whole) to the liquid. Add the ribs to the liquid; they should be almost completely submerged—if not add more broth or water to cover.

Cover with tight fitting heavy lid. Turn burner to low. (Or at this point you can put on the lid and transfer to the oven). Cook until the ribs are fork-tender and falling off the bone, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes with the lid on before serving. At the last minute, skim the fat off the top of the liquid. (You can also refrigerate the mixture, then remove the solid fat from the top.) Made the day before, and reheated for the meal, the flavors mingle and grow and I believe are even better than when just cooked.