A few days ago I made short ribs for a party that I was having. This is a real crowd pleaser and you can make it easily with very little effort on your part.
What short ribs are : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_ribs
Season generously with salt and pepper and sear in a dutch over over high heat till you get a beautiful brown sear.
Add some aromatics like rosemary, thyme and a chopped onion.
The sear is very important since that is what imparts flavor to the dish.
Next, add a liquid like wine, port, stock or even water to create the braising liquid.
I used port since I had it laying around – you can use a combination of the above.
Add a bay leaf and bring to a boil. Then simmer over low heat, covered for about three to four hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. At some point you can add tomatoes and also some root vegetables in the last half hour of the cooking. Sometimes, I add potatoes, turnips and parsnips to create a hearty meal.
After the meat is cooked, cool and refrigerate to help form a layer of fat that can be removed the next day.
This is a very fatty dish and requires you to remove the fat. If you are serving the same day – use a ladle to skim off the fat.
Now for the not so good looking part of the procedure:
Here’s how it will look after you refrigerate it. I remove the meat before hand. Remove the fat and store it in the freezer for making potatoes or even fried eggs.
When ready to serve, bring the sauce to a boil and add the meat. Simmer till the meat is heated through and then serve either in chunks or shred it as I did.
I served it over mashed potatoes as tiny bites since it was a cocktail party.
You can even add a dash of red wine just before serving for a delicious rich flavor.
The final dish as presented to the guests.
I hope you try this dish and let me know how it turned out.
Until I cook again!
Indian Culinary Center, NYC 