I just indulged in one of my favorite meals, Braised Short Ribs. Not to be confused with back ribs, or barbequed ribs. Short ribs are meatier and from the rib of the beef. I’ve looked at all kinds of recipes for short ribs and still feel my recipe is easier and much less complicated, yet my ribs are full of flavor, tender and well, just plain yummy.

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 lbs of short ribs of beef
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 small sliced carrots, sliced
• 4 ribs of celery with leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 bay leaf

Directions

• Place ingredients in a stock pot and cover with cold water
• Bring to a boil, cover pot with lid and lower heat to a simmer
• Simmer for 2-1/2 hours
• Turn the heat off and cool in pot for about ½ hour
• Remove meat from broth and put into a strainer
• Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon and put into a bowl

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

• Now you have two choices you need to make a gravy;
  • You can put the pot of broth in the refrigerator until cold and the fat rises to the top where you can scrape it off and proceed to making a gravy or
  • You can use a can of beef broth purchased from a store and proceed with the gravy
    • Either way, do not discard or throw the original beef broth away, place in the refrigerator overnight and let the fat come to the surface and scrape off, pour into freezer containers and place in freezer to use in soups or sauces.
• To make the gravy, mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water. Bring the broth you chose to a boil and add the cornstarch mixture to the broth.
• Let boil until thickened.
• In an oven-proof skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat, brown the ribs in the oil, add the vegetables that were cooked with the ribs and pour the gravy over the ribs.
• Place in oven uncovered for 45 minutes, ribs will be crispy and tender.
• Enjoy with mashed potatoes or noodles.