Braised Short Ribs with Winter Vegetable Gratin

Last year I received a William Sonoma seasonal entertaining cookbook from a friend.  It is great book with a lot of good recipe ideas. After a particularly long and dreary winter week, the family was in need of a little relief from the bitter cold.  This dish was simple, fresh, delicious and easy to prepare.  I adapted the William Sonoma recipe and modified the preparation to make it a little more convenient for my busy schedule by using a slow cooker instead of the oven. The short ribs were fall apart tender and the creamy winter vegetable dish was divine. The meal was completed with steamed asparagus and a fennel and mandarin orange salad. Enjoy!

Ingredients
Serves 6

4 lbs Short ribs
4 tsp Kosher salt
4 tsp Freshly cracker pepper
1 tbs Paprika
1 tbs Fresh Thyme plus a few sprigs
1 Carrot peeled and sliced on the diagonal
2 Yellow onions chopped
1 Celery stalk thinly sliced
2 tbs minced garlic
3 tbs All purpose flour
2 cups Beef broth
1 1/2 cup Red wine
1 1/2 cup Water
1 1/2 tbs Tomato paste
2 tsp Balsamic vinegar
1 Bay leaf
3 tbs Olive oil
Fresh Italian parsley sprigs for garnish (optional)

Method

Place the spare ribs in a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt, pepper, paprika and thyme. Set aside for two hours. If longer than two hours, place in the refrigerator. Peel and slice the carrots on the diagonal, slice the celery and dice the onion. Set aside.

Heat three tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy sauce pan until smoking. Sear the spare ribs on each side until browned about 3 to 4 minutes. Complete the searing in batches and set the browned ribs aside in a bowl.  Reduce the heat to medium. Pour off all the fat except two tablespoons and saute the onions, carrots and celery until tender. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the flour and stir until lightly browned. Pour in the red wine and scrape up any browned bits. Continue to stir and add in the water. Remove from heat. 

In a slow cooker, combine the beef broth, vinegar, tomato paste, bay leaf together and stir in the vegetable mixture. Place the spare ribs into the liquid and the sprigs of fresh thyme.  Slow cook on high for about 3-3 1/2 hours or until fork tender. Once tender, place the spare ribs on a large serving platter and top with the vegetables and fresh Italian parsley sprigs. This can be made a day in advance.  Simply cool, cover the pot and refrigerate. The next day remove from the refrigerator, remove any fat that has solidified on the top and heat for about 30 minutes on the stove top over low heat stirring occasionally. Serve with Creamy Winter Vegetable Gratin on the side. (Recipe follows)



Winter Vegetable Gratin

Ingredients
Serves 8 - 10

3 Yukon gold potatoes
3 lg. Parsnips
2 sm. Rutabaga
1 med. Turnip
1 tbs Kosher salt
2 tsp Fine sea salt
1 tsp Fresh cracked pepper
4 Tbs Butter
1 cup Half and Half
4 tsp Italian parsley minced
3 tbs Grated Parmesan cheese
3 tbs Grated Gruyere cheese

Method

Set a stock pot filled with water and the sea salt to boil and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Peel and cut into one inch cubes the potatoes, parsnips, rutabaga and turnips and boil until fork tender, about 30 minutes. Once tender, drain the vegetables well and place in a large bowl.  Mix in the butter, parsley, 1/2 cup of the half and half salt and pepper and roughly mash with a potato masher until the half and half is absorbed. Add the remaining half and half. Mash coarsely again until well blended.  I prefer a somewhat chunky texture to the mash.  Add a little more half and half, if needed, to arrive at the desired consistency and adjust seasonings to taste with the salt and pepper.

Spoon the mashed vegetables in a buttered 12 inch gratin dish and sprinkle the top with the cheeses.  Bake until bubbles form around the edges, about 20 minutes. Preheat the broiler and broil until the top is golden, 3-4 minutes. Cool for a few minutes and serve.