Talk about having a great fall! I just thought this was the cutest picture ever! Honestly, my biggest problem with the season is that it ends in winter – if we could move from fall to maybe two weeks of winter weather and then into spring, I could deal with it. But no such luck, so I may as well embrace it!
What I can say is that this is great fall comfort food! Unlike many of my recipes, this isn’t quick, but it is easy, and most of the time is spent just hanging out while the short ribs and veggies cook up in the oven. Great choice for those Sunday afternoons watching football – start this, watch the game, and enjoy!
Braised Short Ribs with Root Veggies – Serves 2
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 bone-in beef short ribs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (see recipe for how to divide it)
Ground pepper
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces and then halved
3 parsnips, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups red wine
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon parsley
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 can beef stock
1/2 cup water
Preheat oven to 350. While the oven is heating up, peel and cut up veggies. I halved each carrot piece, but didn’t bother doing so with the parsnips because they were skinnier. If you have skinny carrots and/or fat parsnips, proceed accordingly.
Heat an oven-safe pot over medium-high heat (you can use a roasting pan on top of the stove if all your Dutch ovens have plastic handles). Add oil to hot pot. Sprinkle short ribs with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper and brown on all sides – this should take about 10 minutes (they seem to have so many sides)! Remove short ribs to a plate or bowl, turn heat down to medium and add onion, carrots, parsnips, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, frequently, about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent (be careful not to burn your onions and/or garlic). Add tomato paste and wine, and stir, scraping any lovely burned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add short ribs (along with any juices that dripped off them) back into pot and turn heat back up to medium-high. Once wine begins to boil, reduce heat slightly and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Add stock, water, thyme, oregano, parsley, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir well, cover and put in oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours – short ribs should be tender and there should still be a good amount of gravy in the pan. If there is too much gravy, bring to a boil on the stovetop and reduce until you have the desired amount.
Fish out the bay leaves, add 1/2 teaspoon salt (if necessary) and enjoy over cauliflower rice, regular rice, or noodles!
Like I said, it takes a while, but it’s well worth it – comfort food at its best!
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