Short ribs are going through a real renaissance, just like lamb shanks and pork cheeks have before them. They are a cheap cut full of fat and sinew that disappears as you slowly cook them in red wine and stock. Roasting the tomato purée or ″cooking it out,″ as we say in kitchens rounds off the tart notes you sometimes get in tomatoes.
SERVES: 2
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 thick-cut meaty beef short ribs
- Olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large head of garlic, cut in half horizontally
- 1 heaping Tbsp tomato purée
- One 750-ml bottle red wine
- 1 quart beef stock
- 5 ounces pancetta
- 8 ounces small cremini mushrooms, trimmed and halved
- Chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Season the short ribs with salt and pepper thoroughly, then brown them in a deep-sided roasting pan with olive oil for 10–15 minutes on all sides.
- Add the halved garlic head and tomato purée to the pan. Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pan, then add beef stock to nearly cover the ribs.
- Bring to a boil and cook for 10–15 minutes until the liquid is reduced by half, basting the ribs with the juices.
- Cover the roasting pan with foil and cook in the preheated oven for 3–4 hours, basting now and then until the meat is tender and falling away from the bone.
- Cook pancetta for 2–3 minutes until crisp and golden. Add mushrooms and cook for 4–5 minutes until tender. Drain off any excess fat.
- Remove the short ribs from the oven and transfer to a serving dish. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins and pass through a sieve. Spoon off any excess fat from the beef cooking liquid, then strain it through the sieve and mix with the garlic.
- Serve the short ribs topped with the hot pancetta and mushrooms and the sauce poured around. Garnish with chopped flat-leaf parsley.
