Beef Short Rib with Parmesan Polenta

• porcie: 8 servings

Ingrediencie

• 3 bottles dry red wine

• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil/canola oil/ vegetable oil

• 10-12 short ribs, trimmed of excess fat

• Salt and crushed black peppercorns

• Flour, for dredging

• 8 large shallots, peeled, minced

• 3 medium-sized carrots, peeled, sliced thinly

• 3 ribs of celery, sliced thinly

• 2 medium-sized leek (white and light-green parts), washed and dried, sliced thinly

• 10 cloves of garlic, peeled, chopped

• 6 sprigs flat-leaf parsley

• 3 bay leaves

• 3 thyme sprigs

• 3 tablespoons tomato paste

• 3 quarts beef broth

• Freshly ground white pepper

• 4 ½ cups chicken broth

• 2 cups water

• 1 ½ cups polenta or coarse-ground cornmeal (for grits)

• 1 ½ teaspoons salt, plus more to taste

• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 3/4 cup heavy cream

Postup

1. Pour the wine into a large saucepan and heat it over medium heat. Once the wine is hot, ignite it carefully. Allow the flames to extinguish, then turn up the heat to boil the wine until it reduces by half. After it's reduced, remove the saucepan from the heat.

2. Set your oven rack in the center and preheat the oven to 350°F.

3. In a large, heavy, oven-safe pot, heat some oil over medium-high heat. Season the ribs with salt and crushed pepper. Lightly dust the ribs with a little flour (about 2-3 tablespoons). When the oil is hot, add these ribs to the pot, searing them for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side until they're nicely browned. Move these ribs to a plate, then repeat with the remaining ribs. Reduce the heat to medium, and add in your vegetables and herbs. Sauté until the vegetables start to brown slightly, around 5 to 7 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste and cook for another minute.

4. Add the short ribs back into the pot, along with the reduced wine, and beef broth. Bring everything to a boil, cover securely, and transfer the pot to the oven to braise for about 2 ½ hours, or until the ribs are very tender. Skim off any fat from the surface every 30 minutes. OR, for best results, let the ribs and broth cool in the pot overnight in the refrigerator; this will allow you to remove the solidified fat easily the next day. I actually made this dish on a Monday to this point, and then refrigerated until Thursday for Thanksgiving!

5. To proceed, warm up short ribs in the pot and then remove them and keep them warm. Carefully strain the broth from the solids, pressing down on the solids to remove extra liquid. Add the broth back to the pot and boil down the liquid in the pot until it's reduced to about 1 quart. Season with salt and pepper.

6. In a medium bowl, combine the 1 ½ cups of grits with 2 cups of cold water. Stir until the grits are well mixed with the water and there are no lumps. This step helps prevent clumping when you add them to the hot liquid.

7. In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups of chicken broth to a boil over medium-high heat along with 1 ½ teaspoons of salt.

8. Slowly whisk the cold grits mixture into the boiling liquid and stir continuously for 5 minutes.

9. Reduce the heat to low so the mixture is just simmering. Cover the saucepan for 15-20 minutes. The grits should be creamy and tender. If they're too thick, you can add a little more broth or water.

10. Once the grits are cooked to your desired consistency, remove from heat. Stir in the 3 tablespoons of butter until it's completely melted, then gradually add the cup of Parmesan cheese, stirring until well incorporated. Add the heavy cream and stir in until completely combined.

11. Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt or pepper if necessary.

12. Serve the grits hot in a bowl, top with short ribs, ladle red wine beef reduction on top and enjoy this luxurious meal!