It was a nice, relaxing Sunday over here and short ribs were on the menu.  One of my favorite restaurants serves a braised pot roast over polenta that is to die for!!! So, I figured why not use some short ribs instead, right? and that’s what I did. I made some Braised Short Ribs with Parmesan Polenta and for some greens – a side of  broccoli rabe. Oh my goodness do I love broccoli rabe!

The first recipe I came across for braised short ribs was from Williams Sonoma. I took a closer look and immediately knew that this was the recipe I was going to use. Not only was it exactly what I had in mind when I envisioned this meal, but the other great thing about this recipe was that I already had most of the ingredients on hand! Score!

Keep in mind that this recipe does need a bit of tender love and care so I recommend making it when you know you’ll be hanging around the house.  I also halved the recipe since it was only for my boyfriend and I – who so kindly took the pictures since he has some pretty sweet camera skills. Say goodbye to iPhone pictures haha… You guys, how good does this look right? My mouth is watering…go make this!!! Simple ingredients, and big on flavor! The meat was fall-off-the-bone tender and the grave was just heavenly. You’ll want to be pretty generous with it when serving, so good! We loved it!!

Braised Short Ribs with Creamy Polenta

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/braised-short-ribs-with-creamy-polenta.html

Ingredients:
3 Tbs. olive oil
6 lbs. meaty, bone-in, individual-cut short ribs
4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups hearty red wine
3 cups beef stock or broth
2 Tbs. tomato paste
1 Tbs. minced fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 cup whole milk  (I used chicken broth) 
1 1/3 cups quick-cooking polenta
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving

Directions:
Preheat an oven to 325°F. In a Dutch oven, heat 2 Tbs. of the oil over medium-high heat. Season the short ribs with 2 tsp. salt and the pepper. In batches to avoid crowding, add the short ribs to the pot and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.

Add the remaining 1 Tbs. oil to the pot and heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Sprinkle in the flour and stir well. Slowly stir in the wine, then the stock. Stir in the tomato paste, rosemary and bay leaf. Return the short ribs to the pot. The short ribs should be barely covered with liquid. If not, add hot water as needed. Bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the pot, place in the oven, and cook, moving the position of the ribs every 45 minutes or so to be sure that they are covered with liquid and are cooking evenly, until very tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Transfer the ribs to a deep serving platter (don’t worry if the meat separates from the bones), and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Let the cooking liquid stand for 5 minutes. Skim off the fat from the surface and discard. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook, stirring, until reduced by about one-fourth, about 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Return the short ribs to the pot.

Just before serving, make the polenta: In a heavy saucepan, bring 3 cups water, the milk, and the remaining 2 tsp. salt to a boil over high heat. Slowly whisk in the polenta and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, whisking often, until the polenta is thick, about 2 minutes. Stir in the 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Divide the polenta among warmed deep serving bowls, top with the ribs and sauce and serve at once. Serves 6.

Oh! and don’t forget the broccoli rabe – Here’s how I made it… Trim the bottom stems and then in batches, drop it in boiling water for 1 minute and then transfer it to a bowl of ice water to cool. I then sautéed it with a little olive oil, garlic and some red pepper flakes until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Doesn’t get much easier than that, yummm!

With Love and Sugar,

Kristen xo.