I get how intimidating it can be to cook something impressive for the people you love, but this is a foolproof way to impress them. This is what I would show to anyone who says they either can't cook, or can't cook anything truly delicious. These short ribs come out tender and delicious every time, and as long as your seasoning is in the ballpark, this is going to taste amazing. Make this if you need to build some confidence in the kitchen (also if you want your house to smell incredible).
Ingredients
6-8 short ribs (2-3 per person)
1 yellow onion
2 large carrots
2 celery stalks
6 cloves garlic
2 tbsp ap flour
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup or 240g of red wine (cabernet sauvignon)
1 tbsp soy sauce
4 cups or 940g beef broth (or water with 1.5 tbsp better than bouillon)
Thyme
Rosemary
Garlic powder, onion powder, pepper
3 large russet potatoes
100g half and half
4 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper
A bunch of broccolini
Salt and pepper
Most braises have a similar flavor base, which is built on the back of 2 parts onion, 1 part carrot, and 1 part celery. Chop each of these veggies into a large dice so they don't fall apart during the long cooking process. Crush your garlic and and remove the skin. Open your wine and measure out 1 cup.
To prep your short ribs, simply season each piece with salt and pepper.
Set your oven to 350f and place a dutch oven over medium high heat. Once your pan is hot, add enough canola oil to cover the bottom and begin browning the short ribs in batches. Once all your meat is browned, remove a majority of the fat from the pan (leave about a tablespoon) and add all your vegetables. Continue cooking over medium heat until the onions have turned slightly translucent. Keep an eye on the bottom of the pan, and use a little water if things get close to burning.
Add 2 tbsp of flour to the veggies and cook for about 2 minutes. Add your tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes, being careful not to burn the bottom of the pan. Add half your wine and scrape the bottom of the pan. Add the second half and continue stirring until you see the wine thicken. Add a tbsp of soy sauce and your 4 cups of water in batches. Stir in your water to maintain a smooth consistency. Add 1.5 tbsp of better than bouillon beef and season with garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper. Bring this up to a simmer and add back your meat with any resting juices. Add a sprig of rosemary and a sprig of thyme, then place in the oven partially covered. This is going to cook like this for 2 hours.
After the 2 hours are up, remove from the oven. Check on the tenderness, mix the liquid around, and place back in the oven for 1 hour uncovered. This is the time to work on our sides for this meal. Peel your russet and cut them into a large dice. Place them in a pot of cold, salted water and bring that up to a simmer. These need roughly 10-20 minutes to cook depending on the size of your potatoes. Once fully tender, drain them and set them back in the same pot for a few minutes to steam off any extra moisture. Place the potatoes in a mesh strainer and push them through with a stiff spoon to mash them. Heat the half and half and butter over medium heat until warm; pour this mixture over the mashed potatoes and stir. Season this with salt and pepper to taste. Store these in a warm place until you're ready.
After the hour is up, take the short ribs out of the oven and let them cool slightly. The ribs are a fatty cut of meat, so you'll want to skim off some of the oil from the top. I use a ladle to just spoon of the fat that I can, the more you get off now, the less you'll see on the plate. Keep this warm and covered on the stove until ready to eat. Save this fat to sauté your broccolini. Trim the broccolini by cutting off a little of the woody stem and cut them into bite size sticks.
Heat a few tablespoons of the beef fat over medium heat and add the broccolini to the pan. Season this with salt and pepper and toss until well browned. Use a fork to tell if they are done, if they feel cooked enough they most likely are. Cover with a lid if they need more time to cook, but you don't want to get any more color.
On a plate, lay down a healthy smear of mashed potatoes to hold the other ingredients. I like to create a little well on the potatoes for the broccolini to sit on. Add a piece of short rib on top of the broccolini and spoon on some of the gravy along with a few carrots. You could debone and remove some of the fat, but I like to leave them in one piece. This is the easiest way to impress someone and show them that you care at the same time.
Make this next time you need to make dinner for your loved ones.
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