Anne Burrell’s Braised Short Ribs Recipe

Just as the COVID vaccine is rolling out across the general population, and restrictions on social gathering is (sorta) loosening up a little, I’ve taken the chance to get out of the house a little. I've had a week of respite from work, and filled my calendar with leisure and activities. 

I’ve bought some tennis balls, dusted off my racquet and am easing back into the game.  Tennis as a sport is probably as socially distanced as one can get, so I'm pretty safe. I’ve started jogging as well, and also (well, attempted to) play golf at a driving range, all activities suitable to keep people at a healthy arm’s length away. (Especially in golf, where me swinging metal clubs with impunity gets me a wide berth from other people.)

I've also taken to exploring Singapore for a bit. A trip to a local farm in the North-West farming regions of the country had netted me an ample pot of sweet basil, and baby plants of ladyfinger, eggplants, roselle and kale. I really don’t have a good record with young plants, but #8thtimelucky? 

This week of respite from work also coincided with a grocery store’s sale on beef short ribs, and so I spent one morning carting several kilos of these beauts home. At the top of my to-do cook list is Anne Burrell’s Short Ribs, which was spectacular indeed.  

The first time I did this recipe, adding the marbled beef ribs to the hot pan filled the entire kitchen and living room with the fragrance of seared beef, which I didn't mind so much. But as I discovered, searing beef indoors also deposits a thin film of oil all over the kitchen and the floor of the living room. Oops. So now I’ve wisened up, and started using my outdoor stove, which also made adding bits of herbs from my garden into my pot a little easier.    

Anne Burrell’s Braised Short Ribs 
Adapted from the Food Network
Makes 3-4 servings
Short ribs yield much more tender meat than cheaper cuts like general packaged 'stew meat', and should be used for better results. I've used both bone-in and boneless, and both versions are delicious. As a general rule, One rib (bone-in) per person should be adequate alongside a side dish such as mashed potato, noodles or rice. There's plenty of downtime in this recipe, which I use to put together a quick mashed potato recipe from Gordon Ramsay. (I add one minced garlic to the milk/butter/cream component of the mashed potato recipe, which adds an additional depth of flavour to the potato.) Leftover meat can be deboned and tossed with its sauce and pasta the next day for a quick meal. 

INGREDIENTS

3 bone-in beef short ribs (about 1.3kg), cut into individual ribs
Kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 large Spanish onion (if you can’t find Spanish onions, regular is fine)
1 rib celery
1 carrot, peeled
1 clove garlic, smashed
180ml (3/4 cup) tomato paste
1 - 1 1/2 cups red wine
About 2 cups water
1 small bunch of fresh thyme, tied with kitchen string
1 bay leaf

STEPS

Preheat the oven to 190C.

Season each short rib with salt and set aside as you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Cut the carrot, onion and celery into small pieces. Purée them with garlic in the food processor, until a coarse paste is formed. If you don't feel like cleaning up a food processor after, I mince the vegetables as finely as I can manage instead.  

When ready, place a roasting tray or large pot over high heat, and add olive oil. When the olive oil is lightly smoking, add the short ribs to the pan. Do not overcrowd pan; cook in batches, if necessary. Brown each side of the beef rib very well, about 2 to 3 minutes per side, and then remove from pan. 

Drain the oil and scrap any burnt bits off the bottom of the pot. Return to high heat, and add more fresh olive oil to the bottom of the pot. Add the pureed vegetables and season with salt. If you have minced your vegetables instead of using a food processor, you may need to drizzle a couple of tablespoons of water in to help the vegetables soften more. Stir occasionally, scrapping the fond off the bottom of the pot, and cook until the vegetables are dark brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Lower the heat if things start to burn. Add the tomato paste, and let brown for 4 to 5 minutes, scrapping off fond that develops. Add the wine and deglaze the bottom of the pot, and continue to cook until the mixture is reduced by half.

Return the short ribs to the pot and add water, until the water has just about covered the meat. Add thyme and bay leaf. Cover the pot and place in the preheated oven. Cook for 2 - 2.5 hours. Check periodically during the cooking process and add more water, if needed. Turn the ribs over halfway through the cooking time. In the last 20 minutes of cooking, remove the lid from the pot so the sauce can further reduce and get nicely browned. Remove from the oven when the meat is very tender but not falling apart. Serve with the braising liquid.