Sunday Dinner

Well, It looks like I lost the argument about days of the week. Saturday wins, and I didn’t realize people loved Sundays! Shh, don’t tell Corey.

Sundays do have some redeeming qualities. In fact each weekend I like to make a true Sunday dinner; large, aromatic and indulgent. I grew up with this tradition and it’s one that I’m happy to keep.

Currently, my favorite go to item to build a meal around are beef short ribs. They might not be the healthiest cut of meat around (ok, they’re down right terrible if you’re watching your waistline or fat intake) but that’s what makes them taste so darn good.

The fact that they pair so well with wine doesn’t hurt either.

They also make a wonderful meal for those days that you feel like being lazy. Braised short ribs don’t require much of you. There are only a handful of basic steps required to create fall-off-the-bone, juicy goodness:

Brown the ribs

Chop the vegetables that will become your base

Set and forget…for a few hours

See? Easy peasy.

To help us feel marginally better about the nutritional quality of our meal, we used my husband’s own mashed potato recipe, which involves fat-free greek yogurt in lieu of less healthy alternatives and yields some amazing results.

Did I mention that the potatoes were purple?

Hells yes, they were! I think I need to thank Whole Foods for having heirloom potatoes on hand, because this sight made me a little too happy (and creeped out my husband, who finally admitted that they taste just like “real” potatoes).

I found this recipe on Epicurious and have used it more than a few times in the last couple of years. The results are always fantastic and because of that, I don’t often feel the need to alter the recipe. In the version that I made this weekend, I opted to cut the carrots into large chunks so that they wouldn’t disappear into the broth.

Braised Beef Short Ribs
Recipe and directions from Gourmet Magazine 2006, via Epicurious. (Source)
***I choose not to seek nutritional data for this dish because sometimes it’s best you ignore the calories and just enjoy***

Ingredients

• 4 (8-ounce) pieces bone-in beef short ribs
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 (14-ounce) can whole San Marzano tomatoes in juice,
  puréed in a blender with juice
• 1 1/2 cups dry red wine (I used leftover Cabernet Sauvignon)
• 4 cups brown veal stock or 1/2 cup Demi-Glace Gold
  concentrate (concentrate requires a dilution ratio of 1:8; 1/2 cup concentrate (I used low sodium beef broth)
  to 4 cups water)
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon Banyuls vinegar or red-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Directions
Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to
250°F. Pat beef dry. Heat oil in a wide (12 inches in diameter) 3-
to 5-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then
brown beef on all sides, turning with tongs, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a
plate and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Add chopped carrots, onion, and garlic to oil in pot and cook over moderate heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup puréed tomatoes (reserve remainder for another use) and bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Add wine and boil, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 8 minutes.

Add veal stock, thyme, bay leaf, vinegars, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to sauce, and bring to a simmer. Skim fat from surface, then add beef along with any juices accumulated on plate and cover pot with a tight-fitting lid. Transfer to oven and braise until beef is very tender, 4 to 5 hours.