Braised Short Ribs With Horseradish Gremolata And Pumpkin Orzo Recipes

BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS WITH GREMOLATA RECIPE - (5/5)

Steps:

• For the ribs: Cut ribs into smaller pieces, roughly square, so each piece includes a bone. Trim excess fat if necessary. Season generously with salt and pepper and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours, or overnight. Arrange ribs bone-side down in roasting pan and roast at 475 degrees until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, saute onions in olive oil in large skillet over medium heat until lightly colored, 6 to 7 minutes. Add leeks and carrot and cook until slightly softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, thyme, parsley and bay leaves and saute 2 minutes more. Spread vegetables in roasting pan large enough to hold ribs. Arrange ribs on top of vegetables, bone-side up. Add wine and enough hot stock to barely cover ribs. Cover pan tightly with foil and place in oven. When braise begins to simmer, after about 20 minutes, loosen foil and reduce heat to 350 degrees. Begin to test for doneness after 1 1/2 hours. A skewer or paring knife inserted into meat should encounter no resistance, and meat should be nearly falling from bone. When they are tender, uncover ribs and turn them again so that bone side is down. Pour off and reserve braising juices. Raise heat to 450 degrees and return ribs to oven for a final browning. When they are beautifully glazed, after about 10 minutes, remove from oven. Strain braising liquid into bowl, pressing down on solids to extract juices. Allow liquid to settle, then spoon out grease. Pour liquid back over ribs and reheat if serving immediately, or cool, refrigerate and serve next day with Gremolata. For the gremolata: Just before serving, mix parsley, zest and garlic and scatter over short ribs. (These ingredients should be prepared at the last minute.) This recipe yields 6 servings. Each serving: 534 calories; 532 mg sodium; 130 mg cholesterol; 27 grams fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 47 grams protein; 1.21 grams fiber.

BIG BROWN BRAISED SHORT RIBS WITH HORSERADISH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Season the ribs generously with salt. Coat a large wide pan with olive oil and bring to high heat. Add the ribs to the pan and brown very well on all sides-this is an EXTREMELY important step in the development of big brown flavors. It may take up to 20 minutes-don't rush it!
• While the ribs are browning, put the onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and garlic in a food processor and purée to a coarse paste; set aside.
• When the ribs are very brown on all sides, remove them from the pan. Ditch the fat, add a bit of fresh olive oil, and add the puréed veggies to the pan. Season generously with salt and cook over medium-high heat until the veggies are very brown and a crud has formed on the bottom of the pan, 8 to 10 minutes. Scrape the crud and let it reform. Don't rush this step.
• Add the tomato paste and prepared horseradish and cook, stirring frequently, until it starts to brown, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the wine, bring it to a boil (BTB), and stir frequently to scrape the crud from the bottom of the pan (this is the big-money flavor). Continue cooking until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Return the ribs to the pan and add enough water to barely cover the meat. Toss in the bay leaves and thyme bundle, cover the pan with aluminum foil, and cook in the oven for 2 1/2 hours. Check the ribs every 45 minutes to make sure they are still covered in liquid; if the liquid has reduced too much, add more water. Turn the ribs after about 1 hour and continue cooking.
• Remove the foil during the last 20 minutes of cooking to let things get nice and brown and to let the sauce reduce. When the meat is done it should be very tender but not falling apart. To serve, remove the bay leaves and thyme bundle and spoon the sauce over the ribs and sprinkle with the chives and freshly grated horseradish for an extra kick.