Wine Braised Short Ribs served over Minted Pea Puree

Wine Braised Short Ribs:
8 Bone-in short ribs.
1/2 cup flour along with 1Tsp salt and 1 Tsp pepper in lg Ziploc bag.
olive oil.
1 large Spanish onion, cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
3 ribs celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 carrots peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 cloves garlic.
1 cup tomato paste.
3-4 cups hearty red wine.
2 cup roughly sliced Shitake mushrooms.
beef broth to cover.
1 lg bunch thyme tied with kitchen string.
2 bay leaves.

Dredge the short rips in the flour and salt and pepper mixture in the Ziploc. knock off any extra flour. Coat lg heavy pot, preferably a dutch oven, with olive oil and bring to high heat. Add short ribs to pan in batches and brown well. Pre heat oven to 325.
While short ribs are browning puree all the vegetables in a food processor until it forms a coarse paste. Remove the short ribs from pan and drain off fat. Coat the same pan with fresh oil and add the pureed vegetables. Season the vegetables generously with salt and brown until they are very dark and a crust is formed on the bottom of the pan. Scrape the crust and let it reform. Scrap the crust again and add the tomato paste. Brown the paste for another 5 mins. Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan removing all the fond that was formed. Lower the heat and add the mushrooms . Reduce by half. Return the short ribs to the pan and just cover with the beef broth Add the thyme bundle and bay leaves. Cover pan and and place in over for 3 hours or more. Check periodically add more stock if needed.

For the Pea Puree:
1 bag lg frozen peas.
1/3 c chopped mint leaves.
3 Tbs half and half.
1 pat butter.
salt and pepper to taste.
2 tbs grated Parmesan (optional)
serve with a drizzle of olive oil.
Blanch peas in boiling water for 2 minutes.
Puree peas and mint in food processor. Add half and half, butter pulse a few more times. Add salt and pepper to taste.


It is hard to believe that 2010 is coming to a close. This has been an extremely difficult year for me and The Screen Porch has been my diversion. Meeting so many different people and developing a lot of new skills has kept me busy and productive as well as helping me to remain present. I am looking forward to many new and creative ideas to share with you in 2011.

I wanted to end the year with an amazing comfort dish that is a family favorite that seems to pop up right about now year after year. It is rustic, earthy and full of flavor...It warms the soul.
Here's to a creative and affirming year that we can all be proud of.
Once considered peasant food this short rib recipe epitomises slow food. Allowing you to take your time with an inexpensive cut of meat and turn it into something remarkable. Cooked "low and slow" and left relatively unattended this meal has another wonderful benefit of filling the house with it's seductive aromas.

The trick to these short ribs is to spend the time while you are cooking the vegetable puree to really allow that crust and fond to develop on the bottom of the pan. This adds a depth of flavor that you can not get by any other means.

I rely on the fresh mint and sweet pea puree to cut the richness of the meat. I always serve with creamy mashed potatoes to accompany that succulent wine infused sauce. Serve with a hearty glass of red wine and a peppery arugula salad.

Enjoy!!!