Red wine braised short ribs with creamy polenta and glazed pearl onions
2 (10-ounce) beef short ribs
1 small yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 small stalk celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
½ bottle red wine
10 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons canola oil
salt and pepper
2 cups veal stock
Creamy Polenta, recipe follows
Glazed Pearl Onions, recipe follows
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Place the first 6 ingredients in a Ziploc bag and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Remove the ribs from the marinade and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Heat a medium Dutch oven with the canola oil over medium-high heat. Season the meat with salt and pepper and brown the ribs in the oil making sure not to disturb the ribs after you place them in the pan. Each side will take about 7-8 minutes to brown. While the ribs are browning, strain the veggies from the marinade and set them aside, discard the thyme. Be sure not to discard the marinade. Remove the meat when it is done browning and set aside, put the strained veggies in the pan, stirring to dissolve the brown bits on the bottom of the Dutch oven left over from the ribs. Sweat the veggies for 2 minutes. Place the ribs on top of the veggies and pour in the marinade and veal stock. Cover the Dutch oven and place in the oven to braise for three hours. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully remove the tender ribs and set aside on a plate. Strain the cooking liquid and return it to a medium saucepan. Skim off any grease that has risen to the top. Reduce the liquid by three-quarters or until it has reached a rich syrupy consistency. Place some of the creamy polenta on a plate, top with a short rib and pour the rich sauce over the top. Scatter some glazed pearl onion around the plate and serve immediately.
Yield: 2 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 3 ½ hours
Inactive Prep Time: 24 hours
Ease of Preparation: intermediate
Creamy Polenta:
1 ½ cups chicken stock
½ cup water
½ cup yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
salt and pepper
In a medium saucepan bring the stock to a boil over medium-high heat. Combine the water and corn meal in a bowl. Pour the cornmeal mix into the boiling stock and stir frequently for about 25 minutes until the polenta no longer tastes grainy. Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm for service.
Glazed pearl onion:
20 white pearl onions, peeled
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
pinch of salt and pepper
pinch of sugar
In a small sauce pan, place the onion in a single snug layer. Bring water halfway up the sides of the onions and add the butter, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cut a piece of aluminum foil to fit snugly inside of the pan and poke a hole in the middle. Simmer the onion until the liquid has completely evaporated, remove the foil. Allow the onions to cook undisturbed until you see a brown caramel glaze form on the bottom of the pan. At this point sprinkle in a tablespoon of water and swirl the pan to dissolve the caramel and coat the onions. Remove from the heat and keep the onion warm on the side until ready to use.