Braised Short Ribs Of Beef With Red Wine Apricots And Black Olives Recipes

WINE-BRAISED CHICKEN WITH APRICOTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Add the olive oil to a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, place the chicken pieces skin-side down in a single layer in the pot. Cook on both sides, turning several times, until the skin is browned, about 4 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
• Add the garlic, carrot chunks and onion quarters, followed by the wine, stock, apricots and rosemary. Stir together, then return the chicken to the pot. Bring to the boil, cover and braise in the oven until the chicken and vegetables are tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
• Serve the chicken over Cheese Grits with the onions, carrots, garlic and apricots, making sure to get a spoonful or two of the cooking liquid. Garnish with parsley and serve.
• Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Slowly stir in the grits, then return to a boil and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Turn down the heat to low and stir in the Cheddar and cream cheese. Cook until the Cheddar is melted and the cream cheese is incorporated into the mixture, another 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the butter and keep warm until ready to serve.

BRAISED SHORT RIBS OF BEEF WITH RED WINE, APRICOTS, AND BLACK OLIVES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Dust with the flour. Heat the oil in a large braising pan or ovenproof casserole over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until most of the fat is rendered, then remove and set aside.
• Add as many ribs as can fit in a single layer to the pan. You will need to cook them in batches. Sear the ribs on both sides until well browned, then remove from the pan and set aside. Repeat with the remaining ribs. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan.
• Lower the heat to medium, add the carrots and onions, season with salt and pepper, and saute until the vegetables begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato and paste and cook for 4 more minutes, scraping the browned bits off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the red wine and brandy and reduce by 1/2, about 6 minutes.
• Return the ribs and bacon to the pot. Add the remaining ingredients except the apricots and parsley and bring to a boil. The liquid should come 1/3 of the way up the ribs, if it does not, add some water. As soon as the liquid comes to a boil, turn off the heat an cover the ribs tightly with foil, pressing the foil down into the pan, then place a lid on the pan.
• Braise the ribs in the oven for 2 hours, turning them every 30 minutes so they cook evenly. Add water as necessary to keep the braising juice 1/3 of the way up the ribs.
• After 2 hours, add the apricots and cook for an additional 30 minutes. The meat should be almost falling off the bones (if it is not, keep cooking until it does). Transfer the short ribs to a large platter. Spoon the vegetables, olives, and apricots over them. Keep warm.
• Strain the braising juices into a clear glass container and siphon or skim off the fat. The braising juices may already be the consistency of a sauce. If not, return them to the pan and boil for a few minutes to thicken. If you prefer an absolutely smooth sauce, strain out any remaining pieces of vegetable. Taste, season with salt and pepper, and add the parsley. Pour the sauce over the ribs and serve immediately.

RED WINE-BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Season the short ribs generously with the flour, salt and pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over high heat and add the oil. Add the short ribs in batches and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the ribs to a plate.
• Meanwhile, add the carrots, celery and onion to a food processor and pulse until the vegetables are almost a puree, about 30 seconds.
• Reduce the heat under the pot to medium high, add the vegetable puree and saute, stirring often, until the veggies are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, Italian seasoning and a pinch of flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste darkens slightly, about 3 minutes. Slowly pour in the wine while whisking; whisk until smooth and combined. Add the sugar to the wine. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the wine is reduced by half, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Stir in the broth, garlic and bay leaves, bring to a boil, turn off the heat and add the ribs back to the pot. Cover, transfer to the oven and cook until the ribs are tender, about 3 hours. Serve over sweet potato polenta.

BOEUF à LA NIçOISE: BRAISED BEEF STEW WITH RED WINE, TOMATO, OLIVES, AND BUTTERED NOODLES

Steps:

• Toss the beef in a large bowl with the cracked black pepper, 1 tablespoon thyme, the garlic, and the orange zest. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Take the meat out of the refrigerator 45 minutes before cooking. After 15 minutes, season it on all sides with 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons salt. Reserve the garlic and orange zest.
• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat for 3 minutes. Pour in 3 tablespoons olive oil and wait a minute or two, until the pan is very hot and almost smoking. Place the meat in the pan, being careful not to crowd it. (You will need to do this in batches.) Sear the meat until well browned on all sides. (This step is very important and should not be rushed; it will probably take 15 to 20 minutes.) As the batches of meat are browned, remove them to a baking sheet.
• Turn the heat down to medium and add the onion, fennel, and carrot. Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up all the crusty bits left in the pan. Add the thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and the reserved garlic and orange zest. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables are caramelized.
• Add the crushed tomatoes and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly to coat the vegetables. Add the balsamic vinegar and reduce to a glaze. Pour in the red wine and reduce it by half (about 5 minutes). Add the beef stock and bring to a boil.
• Add the meat to the pot. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and a tight-fitting lid if you have one. Braise in the oven about 3 hours.
• While the meat is in the oven, cut the whole tomatoes in half lengthwise. Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into a baking dish in which the tomatoes will fit snugly. Place the tomatoes in the dish, cut side up, and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon thyme. Roast the tomatoes in the same oven for 1 1/2 hours, until they are shriveled and slightly caramelized on top.
• To check the meat for doneness, carefully remove the lid and foil, being aware of the hot steam. Spoon a piece of meat out of the pan and press it with your thumb or a spoon. If it's done, it will yield easily and almost fall apart. If it's not super-tender, cover again and return the pot to the oven. When in doubt, taste it!
• Take the pan out of the oven and uncover completely. Using a ladle, skim off the fat that rises to the top.
• Turn the oven up to 400°F.
• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
• Ladle half the braising juices into a large sauté pan and add the olives. Return the meat to the oven for 15 minutes to caramelize.
• When the water boils, cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Transfer the noodles to the pan with the braising juices and olives. Over medium-low heat, toss the noodles in the juices to coat well and bring to a low simmer. Stir in the butter, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Quickly add the spinach and a cup chopped parsley, and toss for just 1 minute, until the spinach begins to wilt.
• Transfer the pasta to a large warm platter. Spoon the meat and its juices over the noodles. Tuck the roasted tomatoes in and around the noodles and meat. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons chopped parsley over the top.

BRAISED SHORT RIBS IN RED WINE

Steps:

• Generously salt and pepper short ribs, then dredge in 2 tablespoons of four.
• Using a small dutch oven with tightly fitting lid, brown the short ribs in duck fat or olive oil. Remove from pan.
• Add in chopped celery, carrot, and onion and saute until softened, then add minced garlic. Continue to saute another minute or so, then add in tomato paste and combine well.
• Add 1 tablespoon of flour and stir well, allowing flour to brown.
• Deglaze pan with a splash of red wine, scraping up browned bits. Add in the stock and remainder of red wine. If you enriched your chicken stock with veal bones, include the bones so they can continue rendering their flavors with the sauce. Add the bay leaf, thyme, the orange zest, the juice of 1/2 orange, and ground allspice. (You might want to just wrap the whole allspice berries in with the thyme, instead of grinding it.) and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Bring to boil, then lower heat to simmer.
• Add the short ribs back in and place lid just slightly off. Simmer for 2 hours or until melt in your mouth tender and falling off of bone. Adjust seasonings with salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.
• Serve over mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, risotto, polenta, or my favorite, which is a low-carb option, pureed cauliflower. Sometimes it is roasted, sometimes it is steamed. And since blue cheese or gorgonzola pairs well with beef, adding some to your mash of choice just adds another layer of flavor to this hearty dish.