Short ribs

Comfort Food: Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

~ The Blind Guy Cooks ~ Leave a comment
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There are foods that warm the soul and feed the body, and then there are foods that warm the soul, feed the body, and help heat the house on a cold winter day. These red wine braised short ribs are one of the foods. Think of them as little individual pot roasts with a melt in your mouth tenderness.

I like to use a mirepoix to boost the finished flavors when braising the short ribs. A mirepoix is a French term for a mixture of onion, carrots, and celery. I also like to serve the short ribs over whipped parsnips. I find the slight tang of the parsnip adds to the savory flavors of the short ribs and sauce. I simply boil the parsnips. I then add whole milk and unsalted butter and whip them to a smooth consistency using a stick blender or hand mixer.

I suggest a Côtes du Rhône or Cabernet Sauvignon for the wine used while braising provided it is not overly oaked and lower in tannins.

Here is what I do:

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

Ingredients

5 to 6 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
4 medium carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 750 ml bottle dry red wine (a Côtes du Rhône or Cabernet Sauvignon)
10 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
8 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs oregano
2 sprigs rosemary
2 fresh or dried bay leaves
1 head of garlic, halved crosswise, Do not separate cloves
4 cups low-salt beef stock (preferably home made)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Season short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Brown short ribs on all sides, about four minutes per side. Do not over-crowd your Dutch oven. You will need to do this in two or three batches depending on the size of your Dutch oven. Transfer short ribs to a plate after browning and set aside. Pour off all but about three tablespoons of drippings from the Dutch oven.

Add onions, carrots, and celery to pot and cook over medium-high heat. Cook until onions are browned, about five minutes or until onions are browned. Then add flour and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until well combined and deep red; about three minutes. Stir in wine, then add short ribs with any juices that may have escaped onto the plate. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to medium and simmer until wine is reduced by half. This will take about a half-hour. Add all herbs to Dutch oven along with garlic. Stir in stock. Return liquid to a boil and then cover and transfer to oven.

Cook 2–2½ hours or until short ribs are tender and easily slide off the bone. Transfer short ribs to a platter. Strain mirepoix sauce from pot into a measuring cup. Spoon fat from surface of sauce and discard; season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Plate in shallow bowls over whipped parsnips. Spoon sauce over short ribs and parsnips and serve immediately.

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Big, meaty short ribs while red wine reduces.  

Fall is the perfect time for comfort foods

~ The Blind Guy Cooks ~ Leave a comment

I love fall. I love the cooler weather, football, the colors, my birthday and most of all, all the wonderful comfort foods. This past weekend, Susan and I hosted the Eastern Iowa Wine Club at our home. It was an enjoyable evening with good friends, food, and really good wine. It was also an opportunity for me to cook some of these comfort foods that I really enjoy. The night’s menu consisted of a Roasted Butternut Squash Chipotle Soup, Wine Braised Short Ribs, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts. The hit of the night was the soup.

I am of the opinion that people need to eat more squash. It is versatile, delicious and so very good for you. There isn’t too much you can’t do with squash. Here is a Roasted Butternut Squash Chipotle Soup creation I came up with for the night. Please bear in mind that I was cooking for 16 people. If you half this recipe you should be good with plenty left over. It is every bit as good warmed up.

Ingredients

Approximately 8 pounds of roasted butternut squash
Three carrots
Three stalks celery
Two small to medium sized onions
Several cloves of garlic
8 cups chicken broth
Olive oil
1 cup heavy cream
Two canned Chipotle peppers.

Directions

Roasting the Butternut Squash
Preheat oven to 375° F. Slice squash length wise in half and scoop out seeds. Rub olive oil over cut side of squash and place face up on baking sheet. Season with kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, and fresh ground nutmeg. Roast until squash is fork tender, approximately 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Making the soup
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in large pot. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and salt and sauté until soften, about 10 minutes. Scoop flesh from roasted butternut squash into pot. Add chicken broth and diced Chipotle peppers along with some adobe sauce from peppers. Bring to boil and then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Working in small batches, transfer soup to blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Stir in cream and serve.

Here is what I did for the Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs. I served them over a Rosemary Thyme Whipped Potato. Again, the following recipe was for 16 people. You will want to cut this recipe down.

Ingredients

Approximately 16 pounds of beef short ribs
6 carrots thickly sliced
6celery stalks thickly sliced
2 medium sized onion coarsely chopped
5 cloves garlic minced
Fresh ground black pepper
Kosher salt
olive oil
2 750ml bottle of decent hearty red wine
Rosemary
Thyme

Directions

Preheat oven to 325° F. Season ribs with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Heat a large dutch oven or similar heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat and add 2 tbsp olive oil. Working in batches, brown the ribs on all sides. Remove ribs and clean out pot. Add the remaining olive oil. Add the garlic, onion, celery, and carrots. Cook, stirring often, until onions are softened; about 4 minutes. Add the Rosemary and Thyme and pour in the bottle of wine. Brink to boil. Add ribs back and cover pot with lid. Place into oven. Let braise for 3 hours.

Serve with potatoes, rice, noodles or some other starch.

I know, I know, most people turn their nose at Brussels sprouts. That is more than likely because all they have ever eaten are bitter, boiled sprouts. Roast these puppies until they begin to caramelize and you have a totally different and delectable treat. Here is my recipe:

Ingredients

Brussels spouts
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
Parmigiano Reggiano (aged at least 18 months)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut the stem end off of each sprout and remove the outer leaves. Add enough olive oil to evenly coat the sprouts. Season sprouts with Kosher salt and pepper. Then drizzle Balsamic vinegar over sprouts. Roast sprouts for about 40 minutes stirring about every 10 minutes until they are evenly brown. Shred Parmigiano Reggiano over sprouts and roast for an additional 5 minutes. Remove and serve.