Short Rib Ragu
Servings: 4
A hearty three-course meal that covers the meat, vegetables and grains to usher you into fall. This stew feeds 4 hungry eaters and leaves you with enough meat and sauce to toss into some penne for tomorrow’s dinner.
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Ingredients
Short Rig Ragu
- 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
- 2 Tbsps olive oil
- 3 pounds boneless beef short ribs cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 stalk of celery small diced
- 1 large carrot small diced
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp flour
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup port
- 3 cups broth
Creamy Polenta
- 5 cups water
- 2 tsps kosher salt
- 1 cup coarse polenta
- 4 ounces butter
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Sauce Verte
- 2 cups parsley leaves
- 1 cup mint leaves
- 2 Tbsps chopped chives
- 1 small shallot coarsely chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 anchovy filet
- 2 Tbsps lemon juice
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 1 Tbsp capers
- salt and pepper
Horseradish Cream
- 1 cup crème fraiche
- 1 Tbsp prepared horseradish
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp chopped chives
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Short Rib Ragu
- Soak mushrooms in ½ cup hot water for 20 minutes. Remove mushrooms from liquid. (reserve the mushroom soaking liquid) and coarsely chop the mushrooms.
- Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Season short ribs with plenty of salt and pepper. Brown the short ribs in batches and set side.
- Lower the heat to medium. Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic to Dutch oven and cook for a few minutes to soften the vegetables. Add tomato paste, flour, and Dijon mustard to vegetables. Cook for about a minute then add herbs and port. Whisk the mixture until the port is reduced by about half its original volume. Add the broth, mushrooms, mushroom liquid, and beef, including any juices from the bowl. Add a bit more salt and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Cover the pot and simmer over low heat until the beef is very tender, about 2-2 ½ hours. You can also braise the beef in a 300F oven.
- Uncover the pot and raise the heat to medium. Reduce the liquid until thickened and flavorful. Make sure to skim excess fat from the surface as you reduce. Taste and season more if necessary.
- Sprinkle parsley over the ragu before serving. Serve with polenta, sauce verte, and horseradish cream.
Creamy Polenta
- Bring water and salt to a gentle boil. Pour in polenta in a slow stream, whisking as you pour. Lower the heat and simmer polenta for 30 minutes, stirring regularly. If the mixture gets too thick, just add a bit of water.
- Taste and season polenta. Remove from heat add the butter and parmesan.
- While it’s hot, pour the polenta onto a large platter or board. Spoon the ragu over the top and serve with sauce verte and horseradish cream.
Sauce Verte
- In a food processor, puree parsley, mint, chives, shallot, garlic, and anchovy. Add lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Remove to a bowl, stir in capers and taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed.
Horseradish Cream
- Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
