Beef Short Ribs

With Jeff Cala

Jeff Cala of Lattitude 43 shows you how to braise a 12 to 14 ounce beef short rib for your Super Bowl Party or a tasty meal. Braising means cooking the meat with a lot of liquid for a long period of time. In this case the beef should be cooked in a 325 degree F. oven for about three hours.

Served with this are baby brussel sprouts that are par boiled for about a minute and then sautéed lightly before serving. The sweet potato slices are soaked in a water mixture sweetened with vanilla beans, brown sugar, kosher salt, and cracked pepper. After soaking the potato slices, they are baked in the oven at 350 degrees F. for about one-half hour.

The finished ribs are served over a bed of the sweet potato and surrounded by the sautéed baby carrots and brussel sprouts. As a final topping, Jeff tops the ribs with some Vidalia sweet onion jam and pomegranate seeds.

Ingredients

1 12-14 ounce bone-in beef short rib
1 cup of flour seasoned with salt and pepper (for dredging)
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup Madeira wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup veal stock
1 small onion, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced
1 fennel root, sliced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon peppercorns
2 tablespoons Vidalia onion jam
Pomegranate seeds
For Side dishes:
1 sweet potato, sliced lengthwise
1 vanilla bean
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup brussel sprouts
1 cup baby carrots
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F.

1. Dredge and coat beef in flour mixture and place in sauté pan with olive oil fat side down until skin is crisp.
2. Prepare liquid braising mixture by combining Madeira wine, tomato paste, veal stock, onions, carrots, fennel root, bay leaf, and peppercorns.
3. After browning, place beef ribs in a deep oven pan and pour liquid mixture over the beef ribs. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for about 3 hours.
4. While the beef ribs are cooking, prepare sweet potatoes by soaking them in water sweetened with vanilla bean and brown sugar. Season potatoes with kosher salt and black pepper and cook in oven for one-half hour at 350 degrees F.
5. Par boil baby carrots and brussel sprouts for about a minute, and sauté in olive oil until soft, salting to taste.

Remove bones if desired and serve the finished ribs over a bed of the sweet potato, surrounded by the sautéed baby carrots and brussel sprouts. Top with Vidalia onion jam and pomegranate seeds.

Recipe courtesy of Jeff Cala, Latitude 43, 2010.

Co-owner and Executive Chef Jeff Cala

Latitude 43 has been open for several years and has separate menus for the main restaurant, the sushi bar and the pub. The menu is seasonal and incorporates local seafood, produce and other ingredients when possible.

Cala's restaurant concepts include Cala's in Manchester, Alchemy in Gloucester, and Hale Street Tavern & Oyster Bar in Beverly Farms — all of which enjoy a local following and nearly automatic consideration when residents of any of those communities think about where they'll go to eat out, either for lunch or dinner or Sunday brunch.