Braised Beef Short Ribs

In case it hasn't been made clear enough in the past, we do love a good meat and potatoes dish. The latest from Hubby's kitchen: Braised Beef Short Ribs.

In short, we are obsessed.

No pun intended :)

Do you like tender meat and rich, flavorful sauce? I thought so. This dish made me forget all about my snowy walk home from work. Surviving the freezing temps just got a little more bearable.

Ingredients
Serves 4
4 boneless beef short ribs - approx. 2 lbs total (we have gotten bone-in as well... we found boneless was just as delicious and tender! And - dare I say it? Boneless = healthier)
1 onion
2 carrots
2 celery ribs
1 tomato
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 C dry red wine
Olive oil
Vegetable oil
Salt, Pepper
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp oregano
Rosemary (sprinkle; can be fresh or dry)
Flour (for dusting the beef, about 2 Tbsp)
Beef broth

Directions
Preheat oven to 325
Very coarsely chop onion, carrot and celery
Put in Cuisinart and puree to coarse paste, remove and reserve
Cut tomato into large pieces, puree in Cuisinart, remove and reserve
Generously salt and lightly flour short ribs
Put 2-3 Tbsp oil in dutch oven (we used 1/2 EVOO and 1/2 veg oil because VO has a higher smoking point) and bring to medium heat
Sear short ribs about 2 min/side or until nice brown crust forms - don't overcrowd your pan! You may need to do do it in 2 shifts
Remove short ribs and drain pan of oil
Put a fresh 2-3 Tbsp of same oil mixture and bring back to med. heat
Add in vegetable paste and spread in pan
Cook 5-7 min or until light brown crust forms at bottom of pan
Scrape, respread, allow crust to reform; scrape, respread, allow crust to reform (do this 3 times total... crust will develop more quickly with each repetition, so watch it closely)
Add tomato puree, stir and cook for a few minutes
Add tomato paste, stir and cook 3-5 minutes or until mixture starts to turn brown
Deglaze pan with dry red win and stir until it forms a smooth mixture
Add pepper and oregano
Add salt to taste (about 1 tsp)
Cook down until mixture halves itself
Add beef short ribs back in and spread out in pan
Pour beef broth until short ribs are almost covered
Add 2 bay leaves and a sprinkle of rosemary
Put lid on and put in oven
Braise for 3 hours, turning and re-basting every hour
For the last 20 minutes, remove top completely to allow mixture to reduce and meat to brown
Remove and let cool for 20 minutes

Serve atop mashies for maximum deliciousness!