Braised Short Rib Risotto with Mushrooms

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 1 hour
• total time: 5 hours

Ingredients

1 teaspoon avocado oil

2-3 pounds bone in short ribs

2 cups onions (diced (about 1 large onion))

3 cloves garlic (minced)

¾ cups dry red wine (like cabernet sauvignon)

4 cups beef stock

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 pound mushrooms (quartered or sliced (I used baby portobello))

1 clove garlic (minced)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 cup onion (diced (about ½ large onion))

2 cloves garlic (minced)

½ cup cooking sherry

1 cup arborio rice

3-3.5 cups beef broth (could also use mushroom stock)

2 ounces parmesan cheese (freshly and finely grated w/ a microplane (about 2 cups)* see note)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Fresh herbs

Directions

SHORT RIBS:

PREP: Take beef out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes prior to the time you want to start cooking. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and adjust the rack to the lower ⠓. Pat the short ribs dry with paper towels and lightly salt. Heat up a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brush oil onto short ribs.

SEAR: Sear the short ribs on all sides until a browned crust develops, a few minutes per side. The darker the better, but not burnt. Remove the short ribs from the pot and set aside. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of oil in the pot.

SAUTÉ: Reduce heat to medium and add in onions. Cook for about 5 minutes until caramelizing, occasionally stirring. Add in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

DEGLAZE: Deglaze with red wine, scraping up any fond with a wooden spoon. Allow the wine to simmer for a few minutes while stirring until alcohol has burned off. Return short ribs to the pot along with any juices. Add in enough beef broth to cover the short ribs about ⠔ the way up, about 3-4 cups.

BRAISE: Cover pot and cook in the oven for about 2-3 hours, until the short ribs are tender and falling off the bone.

FINISH: Remove pot from the oven. Remove any grease that has pooled on the surface with a spoon. Remove and discard bones. They should slide out easily. Remove short ribs to a cutting board. Onions and juices in the pot should have reduced to form a thicker gravy. If braising liquid is still too thin, Simmer stovetop uncovered until it is thicker. Salt and pepper to taste once desired consistency. When short rib meat is cool enough to handle, remove and discard any fatty pieces from the beef. Chop into bite sized pieces, or shred to your preference. Add back to the gravy that has formed.

Mushrooms

BROWN: In the last 45 minutes of the short ribs cooking time, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and mushrooms, and cook until brown, about 10 minutes. Salt towards the end of cooking once mushrooms are already browned. Add pepper to taste. Set mushrooms aside.

RISOTTO

SIMMER: Heat up broth to a low simmer in a small pot.

SAUTÉ: In a saucepan heated over medium heat, add olive oil and sauté onions for about 5 minutes, until caramelizing. Add in garlic and cook while stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute.

DEGLAZE: Deglaze with sherry, scraping up any browned bits. Cook for a few minutes until alcohol has burned off.

TOAST: Add in the dry risotto and lightly toast in the pan for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

POUR AND STIR: Adjust heat to medium-low. Add in hot broth to saucepan in batches ½ cup at a time, stirring frequently. Cook until liquid has absorbed before adding the next ½ cup of broth. Each ½ cup should take about 5 minutes to absorb, 25-35 minutes total. Adjust your heat if it is going too quickly or slowly. Thicker risotto will need about 3 cups of broth, but if you want it more runny, use 3.5 cups.

FINISH: When all the liquid has been absorbed, stir in parmesan cheese and butter. Mix until combined. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

SERVE: Add browned mushrooms to the beef and gravy. Serve beef and gravy on top of the risotto. Top with fresh herbs.

Nutrition

• Calories: 875 kcal
• Total Fat: 37 g
• Saturated Fat: 15 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 20 g
• Trans Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 139 mg
• Sodium: 1542 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 61 g
• Dietary Fiber: 5 g
• Total Sugars: 9 g
• Protein: 60 g