Fall Comfort Food: Braised Short Ribs With Polenta | Food

Comfort foods are a staple of Fall. Slow cooking meat can make inexpensive cuts taste expensive and delicious.

Portobello restaurant is sharing its recipe for Braised Beef Short Ribs With Creamy Polenta.

Brown The Meat

• 4 each 12 ounce boneless short ribs

• 1 cup all-purpose-flour

• Kosher salt

• Fresh ground black pepper

Season the beef very generously with salt and pepper. You need more seasoning than you think

Dredge the seasoned beef in all-purpose flour and shake off the excess.

Brown the short ribs on all sides in a heavy skillet with olive oil. Heat the skillet and then add a film of olive oil and let the oil heat up. Be patient and brown the meat well. It will take 15 to 20 minutes to properly brown the meat on all sides. This is an important step in developing flavor and color.

Remove the beef and hold it on a plate.

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Prepare The Braising Liquid

Braising is a low temperature, moist cooking method. Much of the flavor you achieve will come from the liquid that you use and the liquid will become a sauce in the end.

Use a drinkable dry red that would go well with beef such as cabernet or shiraz. It doesn't need to be a great wine but if you wouldn't drink it or serve it, don't cook with it.

• 1 bottle dry red wine

• 2 cups brown chicken stock

• 2 cups diced onion

• 1 cup diced carrot

• 1 cup diced celery

• 1/4 cup sliced garlic

Add the vegetables into the same skillet that you browned your short ribs in. Add a bit of olive oil if you need it.

Cook the vegetables over medium heat until soft and golden brown. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper when they go into the pan.

It will take 10 to 15 minutes to do this properly. Be patient.

Deglaze the pan with the wine and cook to evaporate the alcohol.

Add the chicken stock and reduce the mixture by approximately one half. Once you've done this, your braising liquid is ready.

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Braise The Short Ribs

Cook the short ribs in a 300 degree oven for 3 to 4 hours. Place the browned short ribs and any juices, which have accumulated, into a cooking vessel.

The beef should fit comfortably in the pan with a little bit of space in between and around the sides. Add your braising liquid and cover your short ribs with either a tight fitting lid or with parchment paper and foil.  Place the ribs into the oven and monitor the level of the liquid periodically.

After 3 to 4 hours, the beef will be very tender. You should guard against cooking short ribs too long. They can become dry.

Remove them from the oven when they are fork tender. Strain the braising liquid and discard the solids.  Either skim the fat off with a ladle or chill the liquid and remove the fat, which will solidify.

You can braise the beef the day before you serve or earlier the same day. If you are serving the next day, chill and hold in the refrigerator. If you're going right to the plate, hold them in a warm place in some of the braising liquid.

For The Polenta

Creamy polenta is a great complement to many braised items. A steaming bowl of polenta with braised beef can salvage a bad day.

• 1/2 cup yellow corn meal

• 2 cup whole milk

• 1/4 cup cream

• 2 ounce butter

• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

• Taste fresh ground pepper

• Taste Kosher salt

Heat milk to a simmer in heavy saucepan on low to medium heat.

Slowly add polenta while stirring and continue to stir until the mixture thickens.

Stir in the cheese, butter and cream to finish.

Season with salt and pepper. Hold in a warm place.

Final Preparation For Service

Once you have your defatted braising liquid, your finished short ribs and creamy polenta, you're ready to go. Reduce the braising liquid until it comes down to a sauce consistency. The liquid should be thick, rich and it should coat the back of a spoon. If you like, you can whisk in some whole butter to finish the sauce. This will provide
additional flavor and richness. Check the seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.

Place about a cup of polenta in each of four shallow bowls and place a short rib on top. Ladle the finished sauce over the meat and polenta. Serve with a full bodied red wine that echoes the one you used in the braise.

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Braising Tips

The act of braising is one that defies strict adherence to a recipe. Mastery of the technique in centrally important and measurement of ingredients is less so. Browning the protein, whatever it happens to be, is very important. If you do it properly, you will develop deep color and flavor in your finished product. Short cutting this step is not allowed. It requires patience and attention. Make sure your pan and oil are very hot to begin with. The meat should sizzle when it hits the cooking surface. If it doesn't, take it out. Your pan isn't hot enough. Avoid premature turning and unnecessary movement of the item. Place the item in the hot pan without crowding and let it cook. Turn the item when a deep golden brown color has been achieved. Make sure you brown meats on all sides. Be patient.

The character of your braising liquid is also important. Whatever you use, wine, beer or stock will reduce and concentrate during the cooking process. If the item doesn't taste good to begin with, concentrating its flavor will not make it any better. Use drinkable table wines in your cooking and make your own stocks when you can. Browning chicken bones in the oven before using them to make stock makes a huge difference. Keep in mind that the quantities noted in these recipes, especially the liquids, are a guide and not to be taken as absolute. The liquid you require for each preparation can vary depending upon the size and shape of the item you are braising and the relative size and shape of your pan.  You can always adjust by reducing your liquid or adding to it.

Cooking time and temperature are vitally important. In general, the lower and slower you go with your braise, the better the results. If you're in a hurry, do something else. You can slightly accelerate cooking times by raising the temperature but it's not recommended. Cooking your meats low and slow will help maintain the item's shape and moisture. If you raise them temperature, your meats will shrink more and may tend to dry out. Be patient.

The best aspect of braising is that it smells like hospitality. If your guests come through the door when you've had short ribs in the oven all afternoon, they're going to know that their presence is welcome.

Nothing hits you in the nose like slow food. Braising is a great way to cook. All of the heavy lifting can be done ahead of time and modest cuts of meat can be transformed into something really special.

If you don't want the mess of making this dish at home, head over to Portobello located at Downtown Disney.