Short Ribs with Caramelized Onion Risotto
Since everyone seemed to want this recipe, I figured I would just post it. It is an easy meal to prepare, you just need to plan a bit. Here is the recipe, please let me know if you have questions!
You will need about 8 bone in short ribs. It's best to prepare those either in the morning, or the day before so that they can cool in their broth and you can skim all the fat off before moving forward with the recipe.
First, leave the meat out for 30 minutes. Sprinkle a generous amount of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper on them. Brown your short ribs in a dutch oven with a bit of olive oil on high heat with 1 onion cut in half. You want those nice brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Remove the ribs to a plate, and deglaze with about 1 cup of nice red wine. cook down until there's about 1/4 cup liquid left. To that, add approximately 3 cups beef broth. You want the broth to come up 3/4 of the way to the top of the meat. Add 2 carrots cleaned and cut up roughly, 1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs thyme, and 1 sprig of rosemary. Don't skimp on the fresh herbs here. Be sure to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, those will make your sauce taste amazing. To the broth, add 1 tbsp demi glace, or gravy master. Put the ribs back in, put the lid on, and simmer on low heat for approx 2 1/2 hours, or until the ribs are very tender. Remove the pan from the heat, and let cool. Then put in the refrigerator. Later, skim the fat off the top before proceeding with the sauce.
Once you have skimmed the fat, take the ribs out, along with the thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Add 1 tbsp tomato paste, and gently heat the sauce. At this point, use an immersion blender to blend all the carrots and onions into the sauce. You can thicken it if you like with butter, arrowroot, or flour. I use Wondra flour because it's super fine, and you can sprinkle it in and whisk as you go so there are no lumps. The mixture will come to its full thickness once you bring it to a boil. Slice the bones off the ribs, and cut the meat into a few thick slices. Put the slices of meat into the sauce and keep warm.
Prepare the risotto. Cut 2 onions in half and slice. I used vidalias and they were wonderful. Saute in 1 tbsp of olive oil with kosher salt until browned and caramelized. Remove the onions from the pan. In the same pan, add 2 cloves garlic and 2 tbsp finely chopped shallots. Saute until soft, not browned. Add 1 cup risotto and toast for 2 minutes, stirring. To the risotto, add 1 cup white wine, and cook down until all the liquid is absorbed. Now you will need about 3 cups of warm chicken stock. (you will keep this warming on the stove, barely a simmer) Start adding the stock to the risotto, about a half cup at a time, stirring until absorbed after each addition. Be sure to taste the risotto for doneness once it starts to bloom and look creamy. You will be able to see how the texture changes. Once all the stock is absorbed, add about 1 tbsp unsalted butter, kosher salt and pepper to taste. Put the caramelized onions back into the risotto. I also added chopped sauteed kale. You can also add spinach if you like, or any other vegetable, but that's optional.
Pour some of the sauce onto a plate, and put some risotto right on top. Then, place a few slices of meat across, and top with more gravy if desired. Add chopped parsley, and serve.
It sounds like a lot of steps, but you can do it in steps. It's so worth it!!!
One thing about making risotto if you are not familiar with it, don't be afraid to add more stock if you don't think its done. There is nothing worse than hard rice. Use your instincts and taste everything, the kitchen police will not come to get you, I promise.