Braised Short Ribs With Polenta
serves 4-6 as a main course
Recipe from cookthink
The long braising time ensures that the meat is tender and shreddable -- perfect for ladling over a pile of soft polenta. Serve with a dry red wine and a salad. Low-sodium beef or chicken stock may be substituted for the roasted vegetable stock.
ingredients
For the short ribs:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds beef short ribs
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 quart roasted vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
For the polenta:
3 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup coarse-ground yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon olive oil
timer
prep: 20 minutes
total: 3 hours 20 minutes
tools
Dutch oven (with lid)
tongs
plate
wooden spoon
saucepan
instructions
1. In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat until the butter's foam has subsided.
2. While the olive oil and butter are heating, toss the short ribs with the kosher salt and all-purpose flour. Shake off any excess.
3. In the Dutch oven, brown the short-ribs evenly on all sides, 10 minutes. Remove to a plate to catch any juices.
4. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic cloves to the Dutch oven and stir with a wooden spoon until all vegetables are softened and the onions are translucent, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes.
5. Deglaze the pan with the roasted vegetable stock, continuously stirring to release any more browned bits on the bottom of the pan, about 3 minutes. Add the bay leaves and peppercorns and then nestle the short ribs into the vegetable and stock mixture, meat-side down, making sure that the liquid comes up halfway on the meat (add extra water or stock to bring the height up). Bring to a simmer, cover tightly, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 1/2 hours, until the meat is tender and pulling away from the bones. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Remove the lid for the last 30 minutes of cooking to reduce the cooking liquid.
6. Meanwhile, in the last 30 minutes of cooking, bring the water and salt for the polenta to a boil.
7. When the water is at a rolling boil, whisking constantly with one hand, slowly shake in the cornmeal in a thin stream with the other. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the polenta thickens, about 15-30 minutes, depending on the coarseness of the grind. (Scrape the bottom and sides while cooking to prevent the polenta from sticking). Stir in the olive oil, then pour the polenta into a bowl. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
8. Remove the short ribs and strain the liquid; remove any excess fat from the liquid with a kitchen spoon. Slice the meat across the grain into large chunks, or shred with a fork. Serve over the soft polenta with a ladle of the cooking liquid.
