Recipe: Luscious Oven-Braised Short Ribs with Potatoes (using red wine)

LUSCIOUS OVEN-BRAISED SHORT RIBS

"Most recipes for short ribs tell you to brown the meat on the stove top before adding the braising liquid and cooking it. This recipe doesn't, eliminating the mess, time and attention that this step requires. The ribs do their own work in the oven while you putter around doing something else. Add the potatoes in the last forty-five minutes, or omit them and serve the ribs with noodles, rice or polenta if you prefer. The meat in its sauce turns out luscious."

1 onion, finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 leek, cleaned and finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
4 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 1/2 pounds short ribs
2 to 3 Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters (optional)

Mix all ingredients except the meat and potatoes in a 9x15-inch roasting pan. Add the ribs and rub all over with the marinade. The meat should fit comfortably in a single layer in the pan. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 6 hours or up to overnight. Occasionally turn the meat over in the marinade.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to cooking. Preheat the oven too 400 degrees F.

Braise the short ribs for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, reducing the heat to 350 degrees F after an hour. Turn the ribs over. Add the potatoes in the last 40 minutes of cooking. Add water to the pan if too much liquid evaporates. You want to end up with glistening ribs in a reduced glaze.

Makes 6 servings
Source: Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys by Lucinda Scala Quinn