I’m not gonna lie, I love making braised short ribs. Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall… these meaty bites never fail. They make a kitchen and the entire house smell amazing. They are simple, but they MUST be bff’d with some gooooooood red wine. They’re easy, they need few dishes and last but not least, one short rib is a meal… as long as it has a very yummy little bit of (personal opinion) buttery, milky carb to present a united front.

People, braised short ribs are SOOOOOO easy. They really are. Anyone can do this. Cut up some veggies, quick browning of some meat pieces and pour some liquids into a french/dutch oven. Let it cook for hours. Voila! Like I said I’ve been making braised short ribs for years and have been following some pretty basic recipes until today.

I woke up craving the dish and wanted some amazing smashed potatoes to go with. Back story: I had recently acquired this new silly nerd gadget… the iPad.

What can this iPad do for me?

I was reading a magazine article and saw that one of my old go-to sites (on my laptop) Epicurious.com had an iPad (probably something I should get used to) app. I downloaded it and jumped right in. I was able to search by ingredients, what I have in my fridge, by course I’d like to serve, or just scroll by ‘new’. I really loved the part that set up the shopping list for me. Just so happened that I defrosted some short ribs yesterday and had decided to check out my new ‘app’ to see if I could find a new recipe. Sure enough Daniel Boulud’s Short Ribs popped up after a couple pages. Hello!!

So the braising process begins:

the veggies lightly browning

The recipe calls for the makings for 8, but I only needed the makings for 2…maybe some leftovers for lunch would be nice. I 1/3’d the recipe…sorta 😉 For the most part I followed the instructions, just the portions were changed:

• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stock
• 2 shallots
• 4 garlic cloves

TI used 1 bottle of red wine, 1 bay leaf and a couple thyme and parsley sprigs. Can’t argue with the delightful aromatics of reduced red wine while shallots and garlic are browning. Time to braise the short ribs

Braised meats... yum!

Next we put the meat, reduced wine, broth and veggies… bring to a boil and get ready to throw the dish in the over at 350 for 2 1/2 hours.

Let the braising begin!

Now for those who support us throughout our efforts, they should also get a small token of appreciation. It’s nice to have the line cooks happy:

Who got a yummy treat??

So the best part about cooking short ribs is planning what is going to go with it. I really want to have a salad with all this meat and richness so I turn to a fav that my fabu neighbor Kath has me hooked on. It’s a shallot dressing that will seriously change your salad making world. And, it’s EASY!

• mince a shallot or two
• macerate above in 2T or more white wine vinegar for at least 5 minutes
• add: zest of a lemon juice from 1/2 – 1 lemon depending on how lemony you want
• olive oil
• salt
• adjust seasonings to taste.

I tossed it w/spinach, avocado and a beautiful heirloom tomato. Then I topped it off with an amazing feta ball that sits in olive oil and spices for some time. Unreal (you can find this at the farmers market).

Starter salad w/amazing shallot dressing

The recipe paired this with a ‘celery duo’ but I didn’t feel like complicating my morning. After all, living in LA allows you to hike Runyon Canyon in the early morning and 2 hours later get in a quick game of tennis at the La Cienega Tennis Center. On my sweaty way home and quick stop off at Whole Foods I decided on something simple: small fingerling potatoes mashed with a little butter, milk and S&P.

The reduction sauce over the meat and potatoes was amazing. I will make this SO many times over. Like I said, this was one of the BEST braised short rib recipes I’ve ever had. Thanks iPat and Daniel Boulud.

Look at that reduction!!

My overall recommendation is: Braised Meat People!! Embrace It!! 🙂 Or just start to look forward to fall meals that don’t have to be left for just Fall.