Cooking 4 2: February 2014

with Risi e Bisi

Wintertime demands a warm, rich, homey meal. You don't have to make a big stew that feeds dozens to achieve this. (Although I have, in the past, when there were lots more tummies around to feed!) By using Beef Short Ribs, you can produce a small, flavorful dish with very little work. A slow braise does all the cooking while you tend to other things. Two pounds of ribs will be enough for two people. I have coupled the ribs with a simple rice dish that can be assembled in the last half-hour of the rib's braise. This is Risi e Bisi, or Rice with Peas. Even the rice cooks pretty much without interference for about 25 minutes. I used that time to make a small "winter salad" of just slices of radish, zucchini, tomato and Gorgonzola cheese, drizzled with Balsamic Vinegar and the finest Olive Oil.

The wine should also not be pretentious. I've chosen Stella di Campalto's Rosso di Montalcino, just a simple red table wine with more character than you'd expect. Of course, her Brunello is legendary, but I save that for more special occasions.

The quantity of the braising liquid will dependent upon the size of your pot. I'm using a small oven casserole and so the quantity of liquids in my recipe was too large, but with a larger pot, or one that doesn't seal in the juices so well, you might need what is recommended here. If you have too little liquid, just add water, there is so much flavor that it won't taste diluted.

When the Ribs are done, they will slip off the bones. If you wish, you can remove the thick fat rinds before you plate, but I like to leave them all together.

(Option) Another possibility would be to remove the bones and fat and shred the meat. Force the braising liquid through a sieve, and it will become a silky smooth, rich, gravy. You could then serve with mashed potatoes and the shredded meat for a different type of meal.

Relative to the Rice dish, if you use fresh Peas, cook them the whole time with the Rice. Since it's wintertime here, I used frozen Peas.

Ingredients:

Ribs:

2 lbs Beef Short Ribs

½ Onion, diced

2 small stalks Celery, diced

2 small Carrots, diced

¼ cup Red Wine

1 cup Beef Stock

½ cup Tomato Sauce

1 Bay leaf

Salt & Pepper

Rice:

½ cup converted Rice

1⅓ cup Beef Stock

1 Tbs Butter

1 Tbs Onion, minced

2 Tbs Pancetta, small dice

3 Tbs Peas, fresh or frozen

2 Tbs Parmesan Cheese, grated

Pepper

Salad:

2 Radishes, sliced

6 slices, small Zucchini

1 small Tomato, sliced

chunks of Gorgonzola Piquant Cheese

drizzle Balsamic Vinegar

drizzle Finest Olive Oil

Method:

1. Warm the Beef Stock. Preheat the oven to 325F.

2. Brown ribs in batches, reserve.

3. Sauté veggies until they start to wilt. Add Salt & Pepper.

4. Add wine to deglaze pan, then add Tomato Sauce, stir in.

5. Place meat back in pot. Add stock until it comes about ⅓ of the way up on the Ribs.

Ready for oven

6. Add Bay Leaf, cover, and place in 325F oven for about 3 hours. Check each hour to see if you need to add more liquid. If you have a good pot, you probably won't.