This recipe was selected from The Complete Meat Cookbook for multiple reasons. Boneless short ribs were on sale, it's a reason to try fennel, there is a quick recipe for a ragout using the leftovers, and it's certain to be great with mashed potatoes. Any reason to eat potatoes is a good one.
Boneless Short Ribs with Tomato and Fennel
Boneless Short Ribs with Tomato and Fennel
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
SAUCE
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
SAUCE
2 tbsp olive oil
3 ½ lb English-style beef short rib, boneless
4 c sliced onions
3/4 c chopped celery
3 tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 c red wine, such as port
2 14.5-oz cans Italian-style tomatoes
1 3/4 c beef stock
1 c chopped leafy fresh fennel tops
1 dash salt
1 dash black pepper
Combine all the herb rub ingredients. Rub over all sides of the short ribs.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
3 ½ lb English-style beef short rib, boneless
4 c sliced onions
3/4 c chopped celery
3 tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 c red wine, such as port
2 14.5-oz cans Italian-style tomatoes
1 3/4 c beef stock
1 c chopped leafy fresh fennel tops
1 dash salt
1 dash black pepper
Combine all the herb rub ingredients. Rub over all sides of the short ribs.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add the short ribs in batches and brown on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes.
Remove the meat and set aside.
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan (if there's a surplus; I had none). Add the onions, celery, and garlic. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften, stirring occasionally.
The brown of these onions is from the brown bits at the bottom coming up -- the onions themselves weren't browning.
Pour in the wine and stir well, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and add the tomatoes, stock, and fennel.
Add the short ribs to the pan, cover, and bake for 1-1/2 to
Short ribs added, checked after an hour-and-a-half, and two hours, then
checked after two-and-a-half and three hours.
If the sauce seems too liquid, remove the meat with a slotted spoon and cover loosely to keep it warm.
I removed the beef only to skim fat, which was not really necessary.
Skim the fat from the sauce and reduce it at a brisk boil over high heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it just begins to turn syrupy. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Serve the ribs and about a third of the sauce, saving the rest for ragout.
Or dump it all together again and dish.
The sauce is extraordinary. Who knew fennel with it's distinct and prominent aroma would lend such a subtly tasty quality to a tomato-based sauce? Oh that was a dumb question -- Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly did. What genius! This recipe is a keeper, one to be done again here without a doubt. I'll admit though that as good as it is, it doesn't beat out the beef stew with zinfandel. I wonder how much of this has to do with wine quantity? Which reminds me, port will keep in the refrigerator at least three weeks.
As for the beef, while it did become tender after 25-50% more cooking time, it didn't have the buttery-soft tenderness expected. It should've cooked even longer. Regardless, I am convinced grades of beef play a key role in the outcome of a dish. I'm certain Bruce and Denis had/would've used Choice cuts of beef and thus their time to tenderness was within the 1.5-2 hour range specified in the recipe. Rather than scratching my head and wondering what was wrong with the recipe or how I failed to execute it correctly, I knew it was the quality of my starting beef.
Does this mean I'll only buy Choice or better meats in the future? Eh, not strictly. I'll opt for the higher quality beef when reasonable and time is of the essence, but more importantly I'll know not to panic if my beef isn't tender when the recipe tells me it should be. Without a household of irate people banging their silverware on the table at a specific time, I have the luxury of longer cooking times when necessary without too much chagrin. Additionally, being conscious of the benefits of intramuscular fat will cause me to be selective of the most marbled cuts from whatever choices I have, Select, Choice, or Prime.
Cost:
The sauce is extraordinary. Who knew fennel with it's distinct and prominent aroma would lend such a subtly tasty quality to a tomato-based sauce? Oh that was a dumb question -- Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly did. What genius! This recipe is a keeper, one to be done again here without a doubt. I'll admit though that as good as it is, it doesn't beat out the beef stew with zinfandel. I wonder how much of this has to do with wine quantity? Which reminds me, port will keep in the refrigerator at least three weeks.
As for the beef, while it did become tender after 25-50% more cooking time, it didn't have the buttery-soft tenderness expected. It should've cooked even longer. Regardless, I am convinced grades of beef play a key role in the outcome of a dish. I'm certain Bruce and Denis had/would've used Choice cuts of beef and thus their time to tenderness was within the 1.5-2 hour range specified in the recipe. Rather than scratching my head and wondering what was wrong with the recipe or how I failed to execute it correctly, I knew it was the quality of my starting beef.
Does this mean I'll only buy Choice or better meats in the future? Eh, not strictly. I'll opt for the higher quality beef when reasonable and time is of the essence, but more importantly I'll know not to panic if my beef isn't tender when the recipe tells me it should be. Without a household of irate people banging their silverware on the table at a specific time, I have the luxury of longer cooking times when necessary without too much chagrin. Additionally, being conscious of the benefits of intramuscular fat will cause me to be selective of the most marbled cuts from whatever choices I have, Select, Choice, or Prime.
Cost:
- beef short ribs: $15.04
- onions: $0.72
- celery: $0.34
- garlic: $0.25
- red wine: $1.20
- canned Italian-style tomatoes: $1.76
- beef stock: $0.32
- fresh fennel tops: $1.47
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