Ingredients:
Preheat oven to 375oF.
Season short ribs with salt. Using a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat enough olive oil to coat the pan over medium/high heat. Brown the short ribs, about 2-3 minutes per side. Cook in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
When the short ribs are well browned, remove them from the pan and place them into a large dutch oven (5-6 quart works well). Drain the fat/liquid from the skillet and add it to the dutch oven if desired.
Prepare the vegetables: peel garlic; peel carrots and cut into 1/2-inch pieces; also cut celery ribs into 1/2-inch pieces. Peel the onion and cut in into smaller chunks. Place all the vegetables in a food processor and puree until they turn into a coarse paste.
Using the same heavy skillet, add a little more oil if necessary, then add the pureed vegetables and brown them until they begin to darken. Approx. 5-7 minutes.
Add the tomato paste to the vegetables and continue browning for 4-5 more minutes. Add the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking for a few more minutes as the mixture reduces by half. Lower the heat if things start to burn
Pour the cooked vegetable/wine mixture over the short ribs in the Dutch oven. Add the thyme bundle. Add 1-2 cups water until the liquid just covers the meat.
Cover the pan and place it in the oven. Cook at 375oF for approximately 3 hours. Check periodically to make sure the pan always has liquid and the meat isn't burning on top. Add more water as needed.
When done, the meat should be very tender and falling off the bone.
These pair well with Freezer Biscuits. The biscuits can be prepared well in advance and stored in the freezer. Pull out a few and bake them shortly before you are ready to serve the short ribs.
Lynn Salmon <>{
