Braised Short Ribs

I'm pretty happy with the way these turned out. The recipe calls for dumping the carrots and onions and then making a sauce out of the liquid, but slow cooked carrots are too nice to throw away, so I just made the vegetables a side dish along with the leeks and potatoes.

I have adapted this from Everyday Food, October 2007

Braised Short Ribs (about 2 hours to prep and cook)

1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper
5 pieces of short ribs (about one pack)
1 tablespoon oil (I use Olive)
2 carrots, cut into large chunks
1 onion quartered
1 big slurp of red wine
3/4 can chicken broth
thyme
1 can whole peeled tomatoes in puree

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place flour in a medium blow; season with salt and pepper. Toss ribs in flour mixture until well coated; shake off excess.

2. In an oven proof dutch oven or saucepan, heat oil over medium - high. Cook ribs turning until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes, and then transfer to a plate.

Add carrots and onions to the pot. Cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits, until vegetables are lightly browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add a good slurp of wine, chicken broth, thyme and tomatoes,( breaking them up). Arrange ribs in the pot, bring to boil. Cover and then transfer to oven and cook for 1 hour. Reduce heat to 350F, cook until fork-tender (but not falling apart), about 1 hour more.

Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer ribs to a plate and keep warm

This is where I differ from the original recipe. I just scoop out the veggies with a slotted spoon and use them as a side.

To make the sauce if you wish (I don't do this, because it's just as good with the vegies and some liquid), strain the remaining liquid through a fine-mesh sieve (discarding solids); return to pot. Bring to a boil; cook until sauce is slightly thickened and reduced to about 1 cup, 10 to 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve ribs with sauce.

Potato and Leeks

Dice up the potatoes. Clean the leeks thoroughly and slice up. I used about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and added the potatoes, leeks and salt and pepper and sweated them on a low heat for about 1/2 hour, stirring occasionally.