Yes, it’s March already! But it feels as if it’s been March for a year.
Doesn’t it?
Hasn’t it been?
Somehow this past year of endless March I’ve been less motivated and felt less creative. Or maybe it’s just that I feel safer, more comforted with the known, even when it comes to food.
So I’ve been less adventurous than usual with recipes.
And yet, the other day I went to prepare my tried-and-true recipe for short ribs and thought I’d do a little something different. Also, I had no tomato paste. I substituted ketchup and decided to jazz the dish up with some harissa.
What a difference! This dish is a wow! It might become the tried-and-true.
Braised Short Ribs with harissa
1/3 cup flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or a few sprigs of fresh thyme)
4 pounds bone-in short ribs
5-6 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium onions, cut into thick slices
4 carrots, cut into chunks
3 stalks celery, cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons harissa paste
1-1/2 cups beef stock
1 cup red wine
cooked noodles, rice or mashed potatoes, optional
Combine the flour, salt, pepper and thyme in a dish. Coat all surfaces of the short ribs with the flour mixture. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the meat and cook, turning the pieces occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until lightly crispy on all sides. Remove the meat and place the pieces in an oven casserole. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes or until lightly crispy. Add the ketchup and harissa paste and stir them into the vegetables. Pour in the stock and wine, Stir and bring the liquid to a boil. Turn off the heat and pour the vegetables and liquid over the meat. Cover the casserole. Place in the oven. Turn the heat to 275 degrees. Cook for 3-4 hours or until the meat is very tender. Serve the meat with the vegetables and sauce by itself or over noodles, etc.
Makes 4 servings