Spiced, Braised Short Ribs by Alison Roman

This recipe for Spicy, Braised Short Ribs by Alison Roman is fairly inexpensive for the servings you get out of it. It is a bit of a project though. AR recommends seasoning the ribs a day ahead, if possible. Once browned and combined with the potatoes and spices there's little effort involved to put this together. I found that short ribs are not common and had to visit a couple of supermarkets and butchers to find them here in the suburbs of Melbourne. The final product is delicious tender, fall of the bone ribs and work perfectly for a Sunday family dinner.

Side Notes
Cost of non-staples: $50
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients
2 - 2.5kgs bone-in short ribs, at least 1.5” thick
salt & freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp neutral oil
700g potatoes, quartered lengthwise
1 large onion, sliced or quartered if small
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 whole chili de arbol (or 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper)
2 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp fennel seed
1 tbsp coriander seed
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp tomato paste
½ cup white wine vinegar
3 cups beef or chicken broth
1 lemon, seeds removed, thinly sliced
3 cups coriander, tender leaves and stems, coarsely chopped

My Pantry Staples
salt
pepper
vegetable oil
onion
garlic
chili flakes
cumin
fennel
coriander seeds
cinnamon
tomato paste
white wine vinegar
chicken stick
lemon

The Method

1. Season short ribs with salt and lots of pepper. If you can, do this the day before.

2. Preheat oven to 160°C. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Sear short ribs until deeply golden brown all on all sides, about 5 minutes per side. Using tongs, transfer short ribs to a large serving platter or rimmed baking sheet. Carefully drain fat from the pot, leaving behind any of the good bits.

3. Add potatoes, cut side down, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, without disturbing, until they’re nicely browned on one side, about 5 minutes. Give them a stir and continue to cook until browned a little more evenly. Using a slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to the tray with the meat, leaving any bits and fat behind.

4. Add onions and garlic to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions have a nice golden brown color to them, 5–8 minutes. Add chili de Arbol, cumin, fennel, coriander, and cinnamon, stirring to coat and toast the spices.

5. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until it’s started to caramelize on the bottom of the pot (adjust the heat as needed to make sure it doesn’t burn before it caramelizes), about 2 minutes.

6. Add broth and vinegar, and bring to a simmer, scraping up all the bits on the bottom of the pot.

7. Return short ribs and potatoes to the pot, nestling everything in (if it doesn’t all seem to fit, it will; but if not everything is submerged, just make sure the short ribs get priority seating on the braise train, which is to say make sure they are submerged even if the potatoes are not) and scatter with half the lemon. Cover and place pot in the oven until short ribs are falling off the bone tender and potatoes are impossibly creamy to the point of almost mush (but not yet mush), 2 ½ –3 hours.

8. Increase oven temperature to 425° (220°C) and remove the lid. Continue to cook until short ribs and any potatoes on top are browned and starting to crisp and the liquid has reduced to a very nice, rich sauce, 25–35 minutes.

9. Remove from heat and scatter with remaining coriander, plus a bit of crumbled chili before serving.

   
   TIP: Short ribs can be braised 2 days ahead, kept in the pot they were made in, sealed, and refrigerated. If doing this, you an remove the layer of fat with a spoon before rewarming them, covered either gently on the stovetop over medium heat or in a 200° oven until warmed through and saucy.