Braised Short Ribs

Mid-September. The Friday walks have taken on a different quality now that there's no household to return to by a certain hour, no children's schedules organizing the evening. We walk longer. We've been going further into the neighborhood and sometimes into the park beyond it, a route we haven't taken since the children were small and the park meant swings and slides and exhausting them before bed. Now the park is just a place to walk through in the evening, the light through the trees, the particular September smell of fallen leaves beginning.

Gary and I talk about things we haven't had extended conversations about in years — his research work, which he doesn't often talk about because I don't know enough of the academic context to follow, but which he's been explaining more patiently and I've been listening more carefully. His dissertation research from the year before we met. The arc of what his work has become. I realize I have gaps in my understanding of who he is professionally that are just the natural result of thirty years of parallel lives, occupied with our own worlds. The walks are filling them.

I made a new video this week: interviewing Gary while we cook together. Him asking questions about technique, me explaining, the conversation that happens between two people who know each other in a kitchen. It was the most-commented video I'd posted in months. People said it felt real. It was real. That's what our kitchen sounds like.

The fourth book is at one hundred fifty pages and finding its shape.

That video of Gary and me cooking together — the one people said felt real — we were making something like this. A braise is the right kind of recipe for two people with a whole evening and nowhere to be. You brown the meat, you chop, you pour the wine, and the rest is just time and the smell filling the kitchen while you talk. These ribs have become our Friday night recipe for this particular season, the one where we’re learning how to be in a house that’s ours again.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 2 hours 45 minutes | Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes | Servings: 2

Ingredients

2 pounds bone-in beef short ribs (about 4 pieces)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 and 1/2 cups beef broth
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped, for serving

Instructions

Prep and season the ribs. Pat the short ribs dry with paper towels and season generously on all sides with salt and pepper. Let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes while you prep the vegetables. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Sear the short ribs. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy oven-safe pot over medium-high heat. Sear the ribs on all sides until deeply browned, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Build the base. Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste, stirring for 1 minute until fragrant.
Deglaze with wine. Pour in the red wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly reduced.
Braise. Add the beef broth, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Return the short ribs to the pot, nestling them among the vegetables. The liquid should come about halfway up the ribs. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover with the lid and transfer to the oven.
Cook low and slow. Braise for 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours, until the meat is fork-tender and pulling away from the bone. Check once midway through and adjust the lid if needed to maintain a gentle simmer.
Finish and serve. Remove the ribs and vegetables to a serving dish. Discard the herb sprigs and bay leaf. If the sauce is thin, simmer it on the stovetop for a few minutes to reduce. Spoon the sauce over the ribs and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve with mashed potatoes, polenta, or crusty bread.

Nutrition (per serving)

Braised Short Ribs — The Kind of Dinner That Asks You to Stay in the Kitchen