Jeffery Deaver’s Short Ribs – The Killer Cookbook

Don’t you just love bones? I know I do. The shape, the feel… the sound! So much fun. And, guess what? You can also find them in some very tasty recipes. Here is one of my favourites. 

Short Ribs

Serves 4

Ingredients

1.8 kg beef short ribs, cut crosswise into pieces 6 – 8cm long

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

2 tbsp plain flour

1 tbsp tomato puree

560ml dry red wine

1 tsp each dried thyme, rosemary, oregano, and sage, crushed

1 bay leaf

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

750ml beef stock

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Execution

Preheat oven to 175°C

Salt and pepper the ribs. Heat the oil in a large casserole and brown the ribs slowly in batches so that they’re thoroughly browned. Set them aside.

Drain off most of the oil and drippings, leaving about three tablespoons in the pan. Brown the onions. Add the flour and tomato puree and cook, stirring constantly, for several minutes until uniform in texture.

Return the ribs (and any juices from plate) to the pan. Add the wine, bring to the boil and then lower the heat to simmer.

When the liquid is reduced to about half, add the herbs and garlic.

Add stock and bring to boil, then cover and transfer to the oven.

Bake until the ribs are very tender – about two and a half hours.

Take the ribs out of the pan and put on a serving plate.

Skim the fat from the remaining liquid and bring to a fast boil to thicken on the hob, then strain onto the ribs.

Buy The Killer Cookbook (ed. Caro Ramsay) here.