Comfort Food FTW this cold Sunday afternoon. I think that short ribs are perhaps my favorite cut of beef — provided you had enough time to cook it low and slow, which I did for nearly 2 and a half hours. I’ve made a number of short rib recipes before (search the site, if you are interested) but this “Provençale” version is a new one for me, with Niçois olives. I’ve served it here with Crème fraîche mashed potatoes (no recipe), but would also go well with other potato styles or even butter noodles, dumplings or Spätzle, though that wouldn’t be all that traditional.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons (or more) olive oil
6 pounds boneless beef short ribs
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
12 whole garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon dried herbes de Provence
2 cups red Zinfandel
2 1/2 cups canned beef broth
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup (approximately) water
24 baby carrots, peeled
1/2 cup Niçois olives, pitted
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Direction
Preheat oven to 325F. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Working in batches, add ribs to pot and brown well, turning often, about 8 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer ribs to large bowl.
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons drippings from pot or add oil as necessary to measure 2 tablespoons. Add onion, chopped carrot, and celery and cook over medium-low heat until vegetables are soft, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, flour, and herbes de Provence; stir 1 minute. Add wine and 2 cups broth; bring to boil over high heat, scraping up the fond (browned bits). Add tomatoes with juices and bay leaf. Return ribs and any accumulated juices to pot. If necessary, add enough water to pot to barely cover ribs. Bring to boil.
Cover pot tightly and transfer to oven. Bake until ribs are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours 15 minutes. Note: all steps through this point can be done a day ahead of time. Cool slightly, then refrigerate uncovered until cold. Cover and keep refrigerated. Bring to simmer before continuing.
To finish, add remaining 1/2 cup broth, peeled baby carrots, and Niçois olives to pot; press carrots gently to submerge. Cover, return to oven and continue cooking at 350F until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Transfer short ribs and carrots to platter. Tent with foil to keep warm. If necessary, boil sauce to thicken slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over short ribs. Sprinkle with parsley.
