Tag Archives: braised short ribs

Our Autumn in Italy Menu

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Making your menu plans for the upcoming weekend? We’ve pulled together a great Italian-flavored repast that will take the chill off a nippy fall evening:

NOURISH Evolution’s Autumn in Italy Menu

To start:

Whip up a batch of our uber-easy Go-To Vinaigrette and toss with fresh arugula. Add a little shaving of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and the salad is ready! (Double the vinaigrette so you’ll have extra to dress salads next week.)

Main event:

I made Ginny’s fabulous Short Rib and Cremini Ragu last Sunday, and it’s already a fave in our household. Super flavor and falling-off-the-bone tender meat make this a fall classic. Serve it over Lia’s Creamy Corn Polenta…mmmm!

On the side:

Spicy Sauteed Rainbow Chard with Golden Raisins is a speedy, colorful side that will round out the plate.

For dessert:

This is a substantial meal, so you don’t want anything too heavy for dessert. Jackie’s Chocolate Orange Pistachio Biscotti are a just-right sweet finish.

To pour:

An Italian red is the way to go here. Try a Chianti, Barbera or Sangiovese, which will be delicious in the short ribs and with them.

Short Rib and Cremini Ragu

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If you love fork-tender ragu, add short ribs to your repertoire. Back home in Missoula, Montana, on the search for local meat, I met Scott Barger of Mannix Brothers’ Grass Finished Beef, a fifth-generation cattle rancher in the Blackfoot Valley. He said that cuts like short ribs often end up going into their ground beef, simply because folks don’t know how to use them. Like many tougher cuts, short ribs require a longer cooking time for the connective tissues to melt. When they do, the meat becomes fall-apart tender, infusing the sauce with an incredible richness. This ragu can be served two ways: with the rib portions intact over our Creamy Corn Polenta, or you can remove the ribs from the sauce, and once cool enough to handle, shred the meat, discarding bones and excess fat. Toss the meat sauce with a long pasta noodle like fettuccine or tagliatelle.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:71]

Braised and Glazed Five Spice Short Ribs

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Braising renders these Asian-inspired short ribs meltingly tender with relatively little hands-on cooking time (and the glaze makes the flavors even more intense).  The ribs freeze beautifully, so cook up this extra large batch and stash half away for a later date.

five-spice-ribs-recipe

2 teaspoons Canola oil
3 tablespoons five spice powder, divided
1/4 cup whole wheat white flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
6 pounds bone-in beef short ribs (roughly 12 ribs)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped ginger
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce, divided
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar, divided
1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 300. On the stovetop, heat Canola oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

In a wide bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons five spice powder, flour and salt. Dredge each rib in the flour mixture, tapping off excess, and brown on all sides in the Dutch oven, 10-12 minutes total (in batches if need be to allow enough space between the ribs for air to circulate). Remove to a plate as done.

Add onion, carrot, garlic and ginger to Dutch oven and brown for 8-10 minutes. Deglaze pan with 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar and beef broth. Bring back to a boil, nestle ribs in the pot, cover and transfer to the oven. Braise for 3 hours and remove from oven.

While ribs are cooking, mix together honey and remaining 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon five spice powder in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and reduce glaze until a syrupy consistency, about 10 minutes.

When ribs are done, transfer them to a cookie sheet and turn the oven to broil. Brush ribs with half the glaze and broil for 3 minutes, until bubbly. Turn over, brush with remaining glaze and broil another 3 minutes.

Serves 10-12