by Lizhen Luo

While visiting my daughter in New York City, my son in-law cooked us an unbelievable meal.  In particular, I found this dish delicious AND healthy!  I would like to include this recipe for this month’s sharing.  Therefore, I am calling this dish Philip's Braised Short Ribs.

Portion Size: 6-8 people
Cooking time 3.5 hours

Shopping list
6-8 pieces of beef short ribs, cut flanken style. (about one piece per guest)
3 cloves of garlic
3 carrots
3 Ribs of celery
1 large onion
12oz of tomato paste
3 cups of red wine
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
6 bay leaves

Steps
<1> Season short ribs generously with salt and pepper. 
 

<2> Cut carrots, celery, and onion into small pieces.  Sauté vegetables with a little olive oil and crushed garlic under medium-low heat(to soften).  Process the sautéed vegetables in a food processor to make into a rough paste, add water if necessary.


<3> On high heat, sear all short ribs until brown on all sides.  Remove the ribs and place it aside.  Meanwhile choose a large enough pot that can braise all the short ribs in one layer.  Add a small amount of olive oil to the pot on medium-high heat.  Place vegetable mixture in the pot and cook for 7-8 minutes, until dry and slightly brown.
 

<4> Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Add tomato paste to the vegetable mixture and cook until slightly brown as well.
 

<5> Add red wine and let the alcohol cook off for several minutes.  Place all the short ribs in the pot on one layer.  Also add the fresh thyme and bay leaf. 


<6> Cover pot with foil and lid and let it braise for 3 hours.
 

<7> Remove the pot from the oven and take meat apart from the bones. Garnish with some parsley or chives and enjoy! 


<8> Have leftovers?
You can create a delicious pasta dish by using the leftover meat and sauce. 
Use a wide-cut pasta noodle, I like using very board and wide fettuccine.  Mix sauce and meat with pasta and garnish atoes, grated parmesan, and parsley.