Anticiplate

Merry Christmas! This was another one of those mouth watering recipes that I saw in the October issue of Bon Appetit magazine (their picture is MUCH better). I have made it before, and thought that this would be a perfect meal for Christmas Day.

Erik’s Mom and Dad, and my Mom and Brother came over to celebrate this year. The meal was a hit! It was such elegant comfort food.  I used a nice bottle of wine to braise the ribs. I recommend not using “cheap” (10 dollars and under) Cabernet Sauvignon. When the flavors concentrate, then the red wine sauce will not taste as delicate. Also, this time, I used boneless beef short ribs. The last time I made it, I used bone-in short ribs. Erik like the boneless better ( I thought they were less moist). I guess it is up to your taste preference. 

These ribs need to be marinated 1 day in advance. Also, I served this with Gorgonzola polenta, but you could certainly put it over mashed potatoes, or mashed cauliflower, or whatever you want. 

Serves 8 

Prep time: 30 minutes 

Cook time: 2 hours and 20 minutes

Inactive prep time: 1 day 

4 pounds meaty boneless beef short ribs (if you use bone in, then use 8 lbs. of meat) 

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup (about) vegetable oil

1 bag pearl onions, defrosted

2 750-ml bottles Cabernet Sauvignon

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 teaspoons all purpose flour

Gremolata:

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

3 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme

Arrange ribs in single layer in large glass baking dish. Mix rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper in small bowl; sprinkle all over ribs. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before continuing. Also, chop all the ingredients for the gremolata in a small bowl and chill. 

Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy wide ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add ribs to pot and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch, adding more oil to pot by tablespoonfuls as needed. Transfer ribs to large bowl. Pour off fat drippings from pot; discard. Add pearl onions to pot, scraping up browned bits about 2 minutes. Then, add wine to pot and bring to simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Return ribs and any accumulated juices to pot; bring to boil. Cover; transfer to oven and braise until meat is very tender and almost falling off bones, about 2 hours. (However, you should check this at about 1 hour and 30 minutes so they do not overcook). 

Remove ribs from braising liquid and set them in a large bowl with foil over them to keep warm. Separate fat from braising liquid using a fat separator. (You can also strain the onions at this time and put them with the meat). 

Put strained liquid back in the pot and bring to a boil until reduced to 2 generous cups, about 20 minutes. Mix 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons flour with fork in small bowl until well blended. Whisk butter mixture into reduced braising liquid. Whisk over medium-high heat until sauce thickens very slightly, about 2 minutes. 

Serve ribs over polenta or mashed potatoes. Drizzle sauce all over the top of the ribs. Sprinkle gremolata all over the top and serve warm.