Braised Beef With A Red Wine Reduction Sauce

So a few days ago, a couple of girlfriends came over to watch some chick flicks. In order to spend the maximum amount of time sitting on the couch relaxing and gossiping, I decided to make a meal that would take minutes to prepare, and literally take care of itself, cooking slowly all day. Braising is the perfect technique for entertaining, as it is a simple two step process. All you need to do is first sear the meat, and then add some aromatics and liquid to an oven safe covered vessel, and cook slowly for a few hours. Not only is this a simple way to entertain, but is extremely affordable because it is best to use a “lesser” cut of meat such as a pork shoulder, short ribs, or in this case some meaty cuts of beef ribs. Once cooked, the meat is fall off the bone tender, incredibly flavourful and can be paired with so many sides; the possibilities are endless. For the delicious recipe below, I used fettuccini to sop up the incredible pan sauce I created with the braising liquid and a little bit of cream and cheese. However if you don`t want to use pasta, feel free to serve this delicious beef and pan sauce with mashed potatoes, polenta, or any other starch you prefer.

Ingredients

Beef ribs or short ribs (whichever looks best at the grocery store or butcher)
Canola Oil
½ a bottle of red wine
3 garlic cloves, smashed
3 carrots roughly chopped into 1- inch pieces
3 stalks of celery chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion or 2 small onion roughly chopped
2 cups of chicken stock
3 or 4 basil leaves
2 tbsps. sugar
1 small can of tomato paste
1 ½ cups of heavy whipping cream
2 tbsps. freshly grated parmesan cheese
4 tbsps. freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
Salt and Pepper

Directions

Braised beef

1.Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2.Pat dry the beef ribs with paper towel and season generously with salt and pepper
3.Add about 2tbsps. of canola oil to the pan and heat on high. Sear the ribs in the hot pan for about 2 minutes per side.
4.Once golden brown on each side, add the beef to the cooking vessel you will be braising in
5.In the same hot pan, add all of the vegetables and season with salt and pepper
6.After cooking the veggies for about 5 minutes, add the basil and tomato paste. Again season with a little salt and pepper.
7.Cook the tomato paste with the veggies until the mixture is combined and smooth, then fill the tomato paste can with water and add it to the pan. Stir to combine, and cook on medium high heat for another 2 minutes.
8.Add the wine and sugar and allow the mixture to simmer for 3 minutes to burn off the alcohol.
9.Add the chicken stock, stir to combine; then add the entire pan of braising liquid to the beef.
10.Be sure to add enough braising liquid so that the meat is covered ¾ of the way. If there is not enough liquid, simply add more stock or even water.
11.Cover the cooking vessel and put it in the oven. Cook at 350 degrees for about 3 hours, or until the meat is fall off the bone and fork tender

Pan sauce and pasta
1.Remove the meat and strain the braising liquid with a fine sieve into a sauce pan
2.Heat the liquid on medium high and allow to reduce for about 10 minutes
3.Add the cream to the braising liquid. When the braising liquid and wine come to a bubble, turn down the heat to medium low, and reduce for another 10 minutes.
4.Add the pasta to plenty of boiling, salted water, and remember to strain the pasta when it is 2 minutes from being done.
5.Add the cheese to the sauce and taste. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
6.Shred the meat from the bone, and set aside to add to the pasta
7.Toss the pasta in the pan sauce, with the shredded beef. Allow the pasta to absorb the sauce and serve immediately, topped with freshly grated cheese


Note: You do not necessarily have to use both parmesan and romano cheese; you can easily use about 6 tbsps. of one. The measurement is also not exact, add as much cheese as you like. I used fettuccini for this particular recipe but if you are taking this to a party or potluck, I would recommend a short -pasta like penne rigate. I suggest this simply because it is easier to serve and may be less likely to dry out over time.