Asain-flavored Short Ribs

When I send Richard to the grocery store by himself I always wonder what he'll find that is not on the list. Recently he came home with about 2 pounds of boneless short ribs.

I went on the hunt for a new recipe, something different. This was it. This cookbook was published in 2004 and I had never even opened it before this.

Since this recipe is supposed to serve 4-6 I halved it for just the two of us.



Asian-Flavored Short Ribs

2 lbs of beef short ribs with bones, trimmed of excess fat and cross-cut into 2 inch pieces
salt and ground pepper
2 1/2 tblsp olive oil
3/4 cups chopped green onions (white and green parts)
1 tblsp peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
1/2 cup chopped carrots
3/4 cups light or medium bodied red wine
2 cups homemade beef or chicken stock or your favorite canned broth
1/8 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tblsp brown sugar
1 tblsp Asian chili-garlic sauce
1 1/2 tblsp finely grated orange zest
1/2 tblsp Chinese Five-Spice powder
1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tblsp cold water (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375.

Season the ribs lightly with salt and pepper. In a heavy bottomed Dutch oven or casserole, heat 1 1/2 tblsp of the olive oil, and brown the ribs over high heat. Remove the ribs from the pot, set them aside, and pour off any fat from the pot. Add the remaining 1 tblsp of oil, the onions, ginger, and carrots to the pot and saute until they are lightly browned, 3-4 minutes. Add the wine, stock, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, chili-garlic sauce, orange zest and five-spice powder. When everything is simmering, return the ribs to the pot, cover tightly, and place in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until the meat is very tender and almost falling off the bone.

Transfer the ribs to a serving bowl and cover with foil to keep warm. Strain the cooking liquid into a clean pot, discarding the solids. Skim off as much of the fat as possible. Boil the liquid uncovered until it is reduced by about a third, about 5 minutes. If you like a thicker, more gravy-like sauce, lower the heat, stir in the cornstarch mixture and simmer for another 3-4 minutes. Taste the sauce, season it with salt and pepper if you think it needs it and then pour over the ribs.