The Second Really Big Cook-Off

Braised Short Ribs With a Celery Duo

Short Ribs Braised in Red Wine With Celery Duo

Rachel at Fresh Approach is hosting the second edition of thie event. The object was to complete her selected recipe and post about your experience.

I found boneless short ribs at Costco for $2.99 lb. They weren't too fatty and looked pretty nice. The 4 pound package cost me about $12.00. I went to my local grocery store for the vegetables (celery, celery root, leeks, turnips and shallots). My garden provided the thyme, parsley and tomato to make tomato paste. For the red wine, I used Yellowtail Shiraz.

Though this recipe has many parts, it is basically easy to make though it takes quite a bit of time when you include vegetable prep, browning the meat, brasing the ribs, sauce reduction and straining and puree of the celery root and potatoes. I was on my feet for a few hours.

I chose not to use the carrots not because I thought they would or would not offer anything to the recipe, but simply because I forgot to buy them. What I found interesting is that the recipe suggested that the turnips and carrots should be discarded. I myself like turnips and in that they didn't get mushy, I chose to serve them with the short ribs. I added whole green onions to this prep also.

The highlight of this recipe was the pan juices reduced until thickened, then strained to make a very tasty, rich dark sauce.

My husband loved it but thought I spent too much time in the prep. I would make it again minus the celery duo. The braised short ribs could be made prior to a dinner party, warmed and served allowing the hostess to spend time with the guests. The celery root puree was nice, but plain mashed potatoes would have been fine. The sauce reduction flavors the puree and may overpower the celery root anyway..

I served my rendition with the short ribs placed on top of the celery root puree, sauce around the sides and including the turnips. This is a heavy meal so autumn and winter are great times to serve.