Brasato al Barolo
Serving dish made by Amanda Wright Pottery and purchased at The Store at CIA Copia.
It’s weird to cook something knowing that it’ll be better the next day, but there’s actually a lot of dishes like that (like Filipino Adobo). For me, I always look forward to the leftovers of Brasato al Barolo. Something about the sauce just getting into the meat over time make this dish delicious the following day. For this brasato (braise), we had a Barolo in the wine cabinet, but feel free to substitute for another full-bodied wine. Serve with any side that’s worthy of being a vessel for the sauce like mashed potatoes, rice, or polenta.
Ingredients:
3 pounds boneless beef short ribs, cut into 3 inch pieces (or 4 pounds if they are bone-in)
1/4 pound of pancetta or bacon, diced
4 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
4 stalks of celery, cut into large chunks
1 medium onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 ounce can tomato paste
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cups Barolo (or another full bodied wine)
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper
Steps:
Pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees.
Sprinkle S&P on each side of your short ribs. In a dutch oven, heat up a few tablespoons of EVOO over medium-high heat. Sear each side of your short ribs until they are browned (about 2 minutes each side — don’t forget the ends). Remove the short ribs to a plate to rest.
In the same dutch oven pot, add the bacon and cook until the fat renders and the bacon starts to brown. Then, add the onion and sauté for 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for an additional minute (do NOT burn the garlic).
Add the tomato paste, rosemary, and thyme, and cook for another minute. Add the barolo, turn up the heat to high, and reduce the wine by half. Add 2 cups of water and return the short ribs (and juices) to the pot. Place the dutch oven in the oven and begin to braise. After 1 hr and 45 min, add the carrots and celery and mix. Continue to braise for an additional 45 min to 1 hr until the short ribs and vegetables are tender
Remove the pot from the oven and remove the short ribs to another plate. Skim off all the excess fat from the top of the sauce, and heat up the sauce over medium-high heat to reduce for 10 minutes. Season with S&P, and return the short ribs to the sauce.
To plate, serve this over rice, mashed potatoes, polenta, or anything that goes well with deliciousness. Also, since you already have a bottle of wine open, drink it with dinner!
