“Perfect” Braised Short Ribs

an original recipe by Gord Latta

“I first created this dish for a very close friend that had just gone through a very life changing experience with throat cancer and is also a celiac and can not eat gluten, (which is why I used potato starch in this recipe, and it turns out I like it better than the flour, I have tried it both ways). My friend did survive the cancer but was having great difficulty with his appetite and swallowing. I felt that if he
had lots of sauce and very tender meat he might eat a little more …. well I was right, it was the first good meal for him in a long time, packed with flavor and lots of tender beef.”

This dish is “perfect” for a rustic hearty warm winter meal or it can be “perfect” for a fine gourmet dish
for entertaining; it’s all in the presentation. This dish speaks for itself …

  • 10 Beef Short ribs
  • 2 cups good quality Okanagan “Meritage” wine
  • 3 Tbsp vegetable oil or peanut oil
  • 3/4 cup flour (or potato starch) …. salt and pepper the ribs before coating
  • 1 med. onion, coarse chopped
  • 1 large carrot, coarse chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • Seasonings: 3 bay leaves, and 2 Tbsp each of thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage
  • 2 cups good beef or veal broth

To add an extra dimension for fine entertaining, add the following to the sauce:

  • 1 cup of real beef Demi-Glaze

And add the following for garnishing;

  • 1/2 cup of Gremolata; (Gremolata is a mixture of minced Italian parsley, garlic and lemon zest,

in pretty much equal portions, just sprinkle over top for garnish)

Preheat oven to 325 0 F
Add the oil to a large heavy bottom Dutch oven pot over medium high heat, (you need to have enough room for the short ribs to be mostly covered by the liquid). Season the ribs with salt and pepper dust them in the flour and brown on all sides. Do not over crowd the pan, do them in batches if needed. Do not worry about excess flour in the pan, this will help thicken the sauce while cooking. Remove the ribs and set aside reduce heat to medium, toss in the onions, carrots and celery, brown for 3 minutes and add the garlic, and seasonings, cook for 1 minute. Deglaze pan with meritage wine, scraping up brown bits, add stock, stir and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and add your ribs so they all fit in the bottom and are at least half covered by liquid, add more liquid if needed (equal amounts), you can always add a little more flour later if it needs thickening. Cover Dutch oven
and braise in middle of oven for a minimum two hours, check occasionally and baste exposed parts.

Remove from oven and serve at this point. … However for that little extra flash … remove the ribs and keep warm. Add the Demi-glaze to the pot and reduce for 3 or 4 minutes this really richens it up, to serve, using a bowl style plate spoon some sauce in the bottom … lean the ribs up against some thick “cheesy mashed potatoes” with some “green beans almandine”, dribble more sauce over ribs and sprinkle with gremolata and you have a real show stopper. ….. bon appetite!