Braised Short Ribs

What started out as a grey day, turned into a somewhat warm and sunny afternoon, no doubt primarily because of the day of eating we planned.  Had we planned a big grill day, it surely would have rained.  We hit  Shabu Chic for lunch, had cheese and wine in the late afternoon and decided on braised short ribs for dinner, followed by Maggie's double chocolate cake with butter cream frosting for dessert.  Roll me into bed and cross another fantastic day off the calendar.


For the braised short ribs:
4 1/2 to 5 pounds short ribs
3 carrots, roughly chopped
4 celery ribs, roughly chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs sage leaves
1/2 cup cognac
1 bottle dry red wine
4 cups beef broth
salt and pepper to taste


Trim the short ribs of excess fat.  Salt and pepper them and brown in batches in a large dutch oven, removing the browned ribs to a dish or platter.  
Once all of the short ribs are browned, add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic and sauté until they are slightly browned.  Then add the rosemary, thyme and sage and toss to incorporate.  Deglaze with the cognac and let boil until almost fully evaporated, then add the wine and bring to a boil.  Add the beef broth and return to boil, then return the short ribs to the sauce.
Cover and simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the short ribs are tender.
Remove the short ribs.  The bones may have come off the rib meat, but either way, remove the bones and trim off the sinewy portion that held the meat to the bones and discard that long with the bones.  Cover the rib meat with foil to keep from drying.
Continue to boil the sauce for another 15 minutes, and then strain the sauce removing the solids.  
Return the sauce to a light boil and reduce, uncovered, for about 10-15 minutes.  Return the short ribs to the sauce, turn the heat to low, and cover and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.  


I served the short ribs with mushroom and pea vine risotto.  Delish!

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