Sometimes you just want a pile of hot beef, and you don’t want to chew. This is the recipe for you. It can be made in the pressure cooker or slow cooked. The onions, carrot, and celery cook down and make a delicious gravy, which you could blend if you want it to be smooth.
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| Fortunately, my cooking is much better than my photography. This is the short ribs served over potato gnocchi, with a side of turnip greens. I kept the onion/meat juice mixture chunky and used it as a sauce for the gnocchi. |
3 lbs short ribs
1 large onion, minced
3 stalks celery, minced
2 carrots, grated
3-5 shallots, minced
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/3 c. dry sherry or 1 c. dry red wine
1 large bundle fresh thyme, or 1 tbsp. dried
1 pkg French onion soup mix
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
1/4 c. cooking oil
~3 c. water
Sprinkle the short ribs with salt and black pepper. Heat the oil until very hot and brown the short ribs in a few batches, to avoid overcrowding the pot. Do this in the base of your pressure cooker (if using that method); if you are using a slow cooker, use a separate pan. Remove the short ribs from the pot. Add the onions to the hot oil and stir until they begin to brown. Add in the celery and carrots and stir to cook for 2-3 min. Add the tomato paste and stir until it is well-distributed. Add the sherry and onion soup mix. Stir the short ribs and any meat juice they produced back into the pot. Tuck the bundle of sage into the pot, and then add just enough water that the short ribs are partially covered.
If you are using a slow cooker, bring the liquid to a simmer and then pour it into the cooker. Cook on low 6-8 hours or until fall-apart tender.
If using a pressure cooker, bring to a boil and then put the lid on and take it up to high pressure. Cook for 45 minutes and then off the heat allow the pressure to escape naturally from the pot.
Once the ribs are cooked, you have options with how to serve them. I recommend putting them over wide noodles or gnocchi, but would also be very good on top of polenta or mashed potatoes.
1. (for picky eaters) Remove ribs from pot and, slip out the rib bones and chop up the meat (it’s up to you if you want to get rid of the connective tissue, but it should be very tender and delectable at this point).
2. OR For more adventurous types, leave on the bone
3. Either use a slotted spoon to strain out the veggies and use these as a chunky sauce for your starch.
4. OR once you have removed the meat from the pot, use an immersible blender to make a smooth sauce with the meat juice and veggies.
5. Either mix the meat back into the sauce, or serve it on top of everything.
Now you are probably confused. However, if you have a big batch of these savory, tender ribs, I am sure you will figure out a satisfactory way to serve them!