Braised short ribs

Ingredients

  • 1.5kg beef short rib (5 – 6 bones)

  • salt and pepper

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 large head of garlic, cut in half with skin on

  • 1 heaped tablespoon tomato paste

  • 750ml red wine

  • 3-4 cups beef stock

  • 250g Portabellini or chestnut mushrooms, halved

  • 400g thick cut bacon, sliced into lardons about ½ cm thick

  • a handful of fresh Italian parsley, roughly chopped

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 170C.

  • Slice the beef short rib, between the bones. Season well with salt and pepper.

  • Place a large metal roasting tray on a high heat on the stove. When it is very hot, pour in the olive oil.

  • Sear the beef short rib in the olive oil, bone side up first. Turn it regularly; making sure it is nicely browned on all sides.

  • Add the garlic to the tray, with the sliced side down, and brown it well.

  • Stir in the tomato paste, mixing it into the beef and cooking it out until it starts to brown slightly.

  • Pour the red wine into the tray and bring it up to the boil. Reduce its volume by half.

  • Add enough beef stock to the tray so that the meat is an inch deep in liquid. Bring it up to the boil and turn off the heat.

  • Cover the tray with foil, making sure that it is tightly closed, and pop into the oven for 2 ½ hours. The meat is done when it is soft and almost falling off the bone.

  • {“For the garnish”=>”10 minutes before the meat is ready heat a frying pan on the stove and add the bacon lardons. Fry the bacon until it is crispy and add the mushrooms to the pan. Fry them together for a few minutes, and set aside.”}

  • Remove the beef from the oven. Using tongs, place the cooked beef short rib pieces on a platter.

  • Strain the liquid through a sieve into a bowl, making sure to push all of the soft garlic through too. Season the sauce and pour it carefully over the beef.

  • Spoon the crispy bacon and mushrooms over the beef and garnish with a sprinkle of chopped Italian parsley.