short ribs - Foodie and Wine Lover

Braised Short Ribs in Tomato sauce

Braised Short Ribs in Tomato Sauce

It’s been raining here, and I needed some comfort food to cheer me up. I made braised short ribs simmered in a tomato sauce and paired them with a Nero d’Avola. It is the flagship grape of Sicily. Mille e Una Notte translates to A Thousand and One Night and comprises predominantly of Nero d’Avola. This wine boasts violet hues and shows great concentration. The nose delivers aromas of dark fruits, blackberry, plum, savory and sweet spices, and a hint of earthiness. The mouthfeel is silky and mirrors the nose with additional flavors of dark chocolate, baking spices, hints of black pepper, nutmeg, and licorice. The finish is lingering, and this wine has the potential for long cellaring. Below is the recipe for the short ribs.

Braised Short Ribs in Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

6 short ribs (about 3 lbs.)
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
olive oil for frying
5-6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 (32) oz prepared plain tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
1 (26.46) Pomi strained tomatoes
Flat leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
1 lb. spaghetti or any pasta of your choice
1 handful of salt for the pasta water
Parmigiano Reggiano

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350-degree Fahrenheit.

1. In the meantime, liberally season the short ribs with salt & pepper. In a Deutch oven on medium-high heat, heat 2-3 tbs. olive oil, sear 3 short ribs for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove. Sear the second batch. Remove and set aside.
2. In the same pan, add more oil if needed, sauté the garlic for 1-2 minutes, and deglaze with the wine for 1-2-minutes. Add in the tomatoes, water, parsley, and ribs. Bring to a gentle boil and turn off the burner. Cover.
3. Place the pan in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until the meat is tender.
4. While the short ribs are cooking, bring the pasta water to a boil, and add a handful of salt. Cook according to package directions or al dente.
5. Serve with grated Parmigiano Reggiano or local Parmesan cheese.

Cook’s Note regarding Italian traditions: if you want to eat like the Italians, serve the pasta first, followed by the short ribs. Here in the US, we tend to serve them on the same plate.

While the wine and the dish were delicious on their own, a brown sauce would have made a better pairing with this outstanding wine. The acidity in the tomato sauce overpowered the wine and mellowed its flavors. Either way, the food and the wine were both super stars, but they didn’t get long together.

I hope you will give this recipe a try! I recommend this wine for a special occasion and stick with a Sangiovese-based red wine for an ideal pairing.

Happy Cooking & Sipping from Gina’s Kitchen!
Gina Martino Zarcadoolas, aka Foodiewinelover
Culinary Personality, Food & Wine Blogger
Author of the cookbook: Cuisines, Corkscrews & Cultures: https://foodiewinelover.com/product/cookbook/
Level-2 Certified world-renowned – “WSET: Wine, Spirit, Education, Trust”
Level-2 Certified Sommelier & Italian Wine Scholar Student (Unit 1 completed)
Winner of 2019 Italian Wines “Salice Salentino USA Bloggers” Award, held in Puglia, Italy
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Short Ribs Braised in Red Wine over Polenta

Beef Short Ribs

Beef Short Ribs braised in Red Wine

Beef Short Ribs braised in Red Wine over Polenta

Enjoying some short ribs

After a long absence, I needed to get back in the kitchen and prepare some home cooked meals. My son PJ suggested that I make Gordon Ramsey’s short ribs. It was a collaborative effort with him and the result was a Grand Slam. Of course, he thought he was Gordon Ramsey and acted like him, but, I had to take control in Gina’s Kitchen. Let’s just say, we were each other’s sous chef! I was feeding 6 hungry people and I came up with the following measurements. This recipe can easily be divided in half for a smaller crowd.

Serves: 6-8 Level of difficulty: Easy-Medium

Time: Allow a minimum of 3 hours from start to finish

Ingredients:

8 lbs. beef short ribs
Olive oil as needed for searing the ribs
Salt and pepper to taste
5 oz. of tomato paste
2 heads of garlic, cut in halves (unpeeled)
1 bottle of red wine, Chianti, Pinot Noir or Cabernet
28 oz. of beef broth low-sodium
Italian parsley for garnish, optionalSide dish:
1 cup Polenta for 4 cups of water, salt to taste

Mushrooms topping:
8 oz baby Portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp. salted butter
1 tbsp. olive oil

Preparation:
1) Season the ribs liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Let it sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. ( I keep my house on 75 degrees F.)2) Pre-heat the oven at 350 degrees F.
3) In a very large and deep pan, over medium-high heat on the stove top, pour about 1/4 cup of olive oil. Sear the meat on both sides for about 3-4 minutes each side. Rotate the meat in the middle of the pan where the heat is, using a set of tongues.

4) Place the garlic face-down randomly. Add tomato paste and stir it in all over the bottom of the pan. Cook until it obtains a rust color. Deglaze with the wine. Cook until it reduces 3-4 minutes.

5) Add the beef broth, and control the sodium if necessary. Bring to a quick boil. Turn stove top off. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven for 2.5 hours. Just forget about it, figuratively speaking. (please do not leave oven unattended)

6) In a small frying pan, over medium-high heat, melt the butter and the oil, and pan fry the mushrooms until they are golden brown. Set aside.

7) Prepare the polenta 20 minutes before the ribs are done. If you do it too soon, it will clump up. Follow cooking instructions on package. Keep on the lowest heat until you’re ready to serve.

8) Remove the ribs out of the oven and place them in a large platter. Take all the garlic out. Pass them through a sieve and put the garlic paste in the sauce. Stir well. Now it’s time to serve. Either buffet style or you can plate it, by placing some polenta on the bottom of a platter, put the ribs on top and garnish with the mushrooms and parsley.
Wine pairing suggestions: A bold Cab, Chianti or any red wine of your choice.It’s good to be back in the kitchen after a long absence.This blogpost is in Memory of My Beloved Dad, John. I will always remember him in the kitchen as my potato peeler, my pot scrubber and my right hand daddy’s little girl. I will miss savoring delicious pasta dishes with him, but his legacy will live in my heart forever.

RIP DAD- 1936-2016

Disclosure:

This dish is an adaptation of Gordon Ramsey’s recipe on YouTube. These measurements are mine based on 8 lbs. of ribs.
Photographed by Gina Martino Zarcadoolas for Foodiewinelover

Happy Braising!
Gina Martino Zarcadoolas
My Food, Wine & Travel Lifestyles