Recipe: Short Ribs Braised with Citrus (using white wine)

SHORT RIBS BRAISED WITH CITRUS

"This is an unusual group of flavors for a dark beef stew - citrus, coriander, and fruity white wine. The results are equally unusual, and quite delightful."



2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed, divided use
3 tablespoons butter, divided use
4 pounds short ribs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 oranges, divided use
4 lemons, divided use
4 limes, divided use
1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 bottle fruity white wine, such as Vouvray or Gewtirztraminer
3 branches thyme
4 stems parsley
1 bay leaf
1 small head white cabbage
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Put a tablespoon each of the oil and butter in a deep heavy skillet or casserole and turn the heat to high. Brown the ribs well on all sides, seasoning well with salt and pepper as they cook; this will take about 20 minutes. Remove the ribs, pour out and discard the fat, and wipe out the pan.

Meanwhile, use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest and squeeze the juice from 2 each of the oranges, lemons, and limes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and another tablespoon of butter in the pan, turn the heat to medium-high, and add the onion, carrot, celery, the orange, lemon, and lime zest, the coriander, garlic, a large pinch of salt, and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes.

Add the white wine, orange, lemon, and lime juice, thyme, parsley stems, and bay leaf to the pan and bring to a boil; add the ribs, cover, and put in the oven. Cook until the meat is very tender and falling from the bone, about 3 hours; turn the meat once or twice an hour.

While the ribs are cooking, remove the central core from the cabbage, then separate the leaves and cut them into 3 or 4 pieces each. Cook them in boiling salted water until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, then plunge into ice water to stop the cooking; drain again and set aside.

Remove the zest from the remaining fruit with a zester and mince. Cut each fruit in half and section as you would a grapefruit, removing any seeds; do this over a bowl so you catch all the juices.

Transfer the ribs to a platter. Strain the vegetables and liquid, pressing hard on the vegetables to extract all of their juices, into another large pan and refrigerate or reheat. Bring to a boil and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter; whisk until slightly thickened, then add the ribs, citrus sections, and cabbage. Heat the ribs through, adjust the seasoning as necessary, and serve, garnished with the citrus zest and cilantro.

Makes 4 servings
Source: Simple to Spectacular by Jean Georges Vongerichten and Mark Bittman