~ Comfort in a bowl: Braised short ribs, celery root and red wine –
Rich meaty stews fortified with wine are the kitchen’s answer to wet and frosty weather. Simmered over hours, sometimes even days, the aromas of beef, wine and spice mix and mingle, concocting delicious aromas that fill the kitchen and soothe the soul. It draws us in to its embrace, tantalized by the warmth and promise of the meal to come. We are hungry yet content in the knowledge that the wait will be well worth it.
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
Cold weather stews coincide with an abundance of of root vegetables and sturdy tubers, stalwart allies in the fall and winter season. Celery root is the secret ingredient in this recipe, adding depth to the stock with mellow celery notes. Serves 6-8.
5 pounds short ribs
Salt
Pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 cup diced celeriac (celery root) in 1/4 inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/3 cup whiskey
3 cups red wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons dried coriander
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Salt and pepper the short ribs. If you have time, refrigerate for a few hours or overnight before proceeding. (Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before browning.)
Preheat oven to 325 F. Heat oil over medium high heat. Add short ribs in batches without overcrowding. Brown well on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to plate. Repeat with remaining short ribs. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from the pot. Add onion, carrot, celery, celeriac and garlic. Cook, stirring up any brown bits in the pan, until vegetables begin to soften, 3 minutes. Carefully add whiskey. Bring to a boil and cook until whiskey has nearly evaporated. Add wine, stock, tomato paste, bay leaves, coriander, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Return the ribs to the pot with any collected juices. Bring to a boil. Cover pan and place in oven. Bake until the short ribs are very tender, about 3 hours. Remove from oven. Cool; refrigerate overnight.
One hour before serving, remove short ribs from refrigerator. Remove collected fat on surface of the stock. The stock will be congealed. Heat over low heat to liquify. Remove the short ribs and vegetables with a slotted spoon.* Separate the meat from the bones and discard the bones. Bring stock to a boil and cook over medium-high heat until sauce has reduced by half. Return beef and vegetables to the stock and heat through.
*Note: If you wish to fancify the stew, remove only the beef from the reheated stock. Boil the stock with vegetables until reduced. Strain the stock through a fine meshed sieve, pressing down on solids to extract as much flavor as possible. Return beef to strained stock and discard solids.
Sauté additional carrots and rutabaga in olive oil until crisp tender. Add to the stew along with blanched and peeled pearl onions. Simmer until all the vegetables are cooked through.
Comforting and very tasty!
Cheers,
Rosa
I have made red wine braised short ribs the past three weekends in a row! (They have been on sale and my freezer is now well-stocked.) I like the addition of the whiskey before the red wine. I’ll have to try that out next time.
As usual, this looks and sounds wonderful.
Your recipes always add one ingredient to take a classic up another notch – love the celery root here.
I am overdue for braising short ribs. One of my favorite cuts of meat. This looks heavenly.
I have celeriac in my garden – is that the same as celery root? Also – in the meat dept, do they have packages of short ribs?? Is that what I am looking for? I’ve been looking for a short rib recipe and this hits the spot!!! Thank you.
Every year I look forward to my first short rib braised dish – you beat me by at least one week, as I am planning on making my first batch next weekend, if everything goes smoothly
I’ve never added celeriac to mine, and whiskey is also new to me – I am going to give your recipe a try for sure!
Gorgeous!
What a perfect day for this! I usually add red wine, but have never deglazed with the whiskey first. That must add a great additional layer of flavor.
This looks like a beautiful and delicious meal. There’s not a thing about this that I don’t like. Easily another one I’m putting on our list of things to try this fall or winter. 🙂
Oohhh….I haven’t yet made my first batch of ribs for this winter season, but now you’ve got me thinkin’. Love them just like this, classically French, with a little whiskey thrown in for good measure!
Helene, I look at the picture and I feel the ribs melting in my mouth! Seriously!
Thank you so much for sharing..
Have a nice day!
Yum, I love short ribs. I will definitely try the shot of whiskey next time too. That sounds delicious. It was wonderful to meet you last weekend!
Hi, I’m wondering about the choice to use chicken stock instead of beef stock with the beef short ribs — I just always default to beef stock for beef dishes, chicken stock for chicken dishes and chicken or vegetable stock for pork dishes. Many thanks for the great food, excellent instructions and beautiful photography.
You can certainly use a good quality beef stock. I use chicken stock because I usually have homemade stock in the freezer. I also find that it’s easier to find a good quality chicken stock rather than beef stock in the store. – Lynda
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Thank you for the reply! I made these last weekend and was amazed by the results. I especially appreciated the “fancy-fication” step — reducing and straining the stock and then adding the sautéed rutabaga and carrots provided excellent texture and color to the rich and flavorful stew. Thanks again!