LimeCake

I don’t think I can stress enough how much I loathe winter. It’s plain miserable.

Silly me – trying to relish Spring when I was reluctantly forced back to the throes of Winter. It’s been raining all day. How drab. Nonetheless, if there’s one thing good about cold weather, it’s gotta be this braise.

I was first drawn to this recipe because of the short list of ingredients. It’s a braise, but perhaps not in the traditional sense because of the way the ingredients go into the pot, and the lack of carrots and/or celery that make up a ‘traditional’ braise. Could I have used “traditional’ any more in that sentence?

Confused much?

Tall and Handsome

This is the best braise slash stew I’ve made in a long time. Rich and incredibly hearty, this is undoubtedly a winter dish. The meat is braised until it’s melty and falls off the bone. I couldn’t have been more delighted.

I absolutely love this and it totally has crowd-pleasing potential. Serve with some mashed potato or polenta on a cold, bitter winter night. Mmm…

My only complaint was that I couldn’t take a decent photo of the dish, but seeing as I really loved this, I know the opportunity for greatness will come again.

Braised Short Ribs With Dijon Mustard (from Gourmet Today via Serious Eats)

scaled down to serve 2

½ (375ml) bottle dry red wine

2 pounds beef short ribs, cut into 2 1/2-inch lengths by the butcher

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoons olive oil

4 shallots, trimmed, leaving the root ends intact, and halved lengthwise

1½ tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard

2 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise

Boil the wine in a heavy sauce pan, uncovered, until reduced to about ½ cup, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, pat the ribs dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the ribs in 2 batches and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides. Transfer with tongs to a bowl.

Reduce heat to moderate, add the shallots to fat remaining in pot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to another bowl.

Stir reduced wine and mustard into the juices in the pot. Add the ribs, meat side down, cover tightly, and simmer, for 1 hour.

Gently stir shallots and tomatoes into the braised rib mixture and continue to simmer, covered, without stirring, until meat is very tender, about ½ hour more.

Carefully transfer the ribs, shallots, and tomatoes to a platter. Skim off fat from cooking liquid. Liquid should coat a spoon and measure about 1 cup; if necessary, boil to reduce.

Season the sauce with salt and pepper and pour over ribs.

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