Walnut Port Braised Short Ribs

Serves four to six

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This is my go-to ‘company’s coming’ dinner – prep is done early giving you lots of time to clean the house and relax with a glass of wine before they arrive. Do a big batch of mashed potatoes with lots of butter and cream, a caterer’s trick to reheating them; a simple green salad dressed in balsamic vinaigrette rounds out the meal beautifully.

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Ingredients

4 lbs bone-in beef short ribs

3 cups beef stock

2 cups D’oro – walnut wine or Port

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup Preserve

1 orange – zest & juice

4 whole star anise

1 Tbsp whole peppercorns – crushed

 

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Steps

Heat oven to 325. Season short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat large Dutch oven over medium high heat; add oil and heat to hot but not smoking. Sear short ribs on all sides, remove and add in onions, garlic, orange zest and spices to caramelize. Deglaze pan with D’oro or port, add beef stock, preserves and orange juice, and bring to simmer. Add short ribs back in, stir well to coast and transfer to oven, cook for about 2-3 hours until tender and falling off the bone. Remove meat from pot and strain sauce, return strained sauce to pot and simmer to reduce to coat back of spoon – 3-5 minutes.