Cabernet Braised Beef Short Ribs with Cauliflower Leek Puree

Cabernet Braised Beef Short Ribs are succulent and meltingly tender with intense flavor.  Paired with Cauliflower Leek Puree, this is a lovely comforting midwinter meal.

I HAVE to do short ribs at least once during the cold weather months.  With the weather warming up and forsythia, flowering crab trees and tulip magnolias blooming here like crazy, my time was running out!

Our wine collection has been sitting above our living room fireplace completely improperly stored since our flood.  We’ve not used our living room fireplace, choosing to freeze over ruining our wine.  So, beef short ribs braised in red wine was the perfect way to use a bottle of our displaced wine.

Beef short ribs are one of my absolute favorite cuts to braise.  Their hunky, clunky and boney appearance can be intimidating.  It’s hard to believe at first glance that with a little time, they will be transformed into something meltingly tender that literally falls off the bone.

Short ribs have a substantial amount of connective tissue.  During the braising process, that connective tissue melts away and produces a succulent, tender result.

The short ribs I used are half of the whole rib.  I once asked my butcher for the full rib and they were ridiculously long and almost didn’t fit in my Dutch oven!  A butcher will also cut the rib into thirds but I think those are too small.  Half of the whole rib is perfect.

If there is plenty of meat, one rib per person will work.  However, I like to be on the safe side and do two per person.  Any leftovers of these Cabernet Braised Beef Short Ribs reheat beautifully or can be shredded and served any number of ways.

To get the flavor process going, season the ribs generously with salt and black pepper and brown well in a heavy pot.  (Love me a cast iron Dutch oven for braising!)  Transfer the ribs to a plate and get the mirepoix cooking.

A mirepoix is simply a fancy name for a flavor base that’s a combination of two parts onion, one part carrot and one part celery.  It’s typically determined by weight, but I just eyeball it.  Cook the mirepoix until it’s nice and soft, but don’t brown it.

Deglaze with the wine, place the ribs back in the pot along with the other ingredients per the instructions and cover securely.  I like to place aluminum foil or wet parchment paper over the pot before fixing the lid in place.  Place in the oven and after approximately 2 1/2 hours, you’ll have this gorgeous meaty goodness!

When the ribs are done, you’ll have a substantial amount of fat on the top.  This can be removed by carefully skimming with a large spoon.  A gravy separator also works well.  If you have some time, prepare the ribs ahead of time, cool and refrigerate.  When the dish is good and cold, the fat will have congealed on top, making it super simple to remove.

For a slightly more healthy alternative to mashed potatoes, my Cauliflower Leek Puree is perfect on the side.  Now, keep in mind that cauliflower lacks starch, so the consistency will not be like potatoes.  It’s a vegetable puree, so it will be on the “loose” side.

Remember to clean those leeks well!  I show you how in this post.

Cabernet Braised Beef Short Ribs!  Meaty, wonderful, luscious goodness in an economical cut!  Mama!

Looking for more amazing beef short rib recipes?  Try my Korean Braised Beef Short Ribs or Stout-Braised Beef Short Ribs.

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Cabernet Braised Short Ribs with Cauliflower Leek Puree

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Prep Time 45 min

Cook Time 3 hr 15 min

Total Time 4 hrs

Serves 4

Cabernet Braised Beef Short Ribs are succulent and meltingly tender with intense flavor. Paired with Cauliflower Leek Puree, this is a lovely comforting midwinter meal.

Ingredients

• SHORT RIBS
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 medium beef short ribs (approximately 2 1/2 to 3 pounds), on the bone, trimmed of excess fat
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 10 cloves of garlic, halved if small, sliced if large
• 1 1/2 cups Cabernet or other hearty dry red wine
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1 can (15-ounce) crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
• 2 large bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 heaping tablespoons corn starch
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• CAULIFLOWER PUREE
• 1 large head cauliflower, stem removed, cut into large pieces
• 1 large leek, white and light green part only, halved and sliced (approximately 2 cups)
• 8 whole cloves garlic
• 1 can (14.5-ounce) chicken broth
• 4 ounces cream cheese (half a block), room temperature
• salt and white pepper, to taste

Directions

SHORT RIBS:  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the short ribs with salt and black pepper to taste.  Place the short ribs in the hot oil and sear well on both sides, approximately 4-5 minutes per side.  Transfer to a plate.

Add the onion, carrot and celery to the hot oil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, add a pinch or two of salt and cook, stirring often until very soft, approximately 10-12 minutes.

Add the garlic, stir until fragrant (15 seconds), then add wine.  Bring to a boil and reduce slightly.

Add beef broth, crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning and bay leaves.

Place short ribs back into the pot, cover securely and place in the oven.  Cook for 2 1/2 hours.

Add the rosemary and place back in the oven for 30 minutes or until ribs are extremely tender.

Take short ribs out of the Dutch oven and place in a bowl.  Remove and discard bay leaves.  Cover to keep warm.

Place corn starch in a small bowl.  Remove approximately 1/2 cup of the braising liquid.  Let it cool slightly then add it to the corn starch in the bowl, stirring to form a thick paste.  Whisk the paste into the braising liquid in small batches, stirring well each time.  Bring to a simmer over low heat.  Cook 3-4 minutes or until thickened.  Place short ribs back into the Dutch oven.  Let sit off the heat for 10 minutes or so.  The sauce will thicken more upon standing.

Serve over cauliflower puree.

CAULIFLOWER PUREE:  Combine cauliflower, leek, garlic and chicken broth in a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender.

Remove the cover and simmer until most of the cooking liquid has evaporated.  Drain off any excess liquid to the extent possible.

Add cream cheese and stir into cauliflower until it's quite soft.  Puree with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender or food processor and process until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

Serve with short ribs.

by Carol | From A Chef's Kitchen

Recipe Notes

SLOW-COOKER:  Cook 4 hours on High or 8 hours on Low.

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