Cafe Luna Beef Short-Ribs

Serves 6 to 8

10 pounds short ribs
½ cup dried thyme
3 TB granulated garlic
1 TBL coarse salt
1 TBL freshly ground black pepper
1 cup flour (just to toss ribs in; toss the rest of the flour out when done)
4 carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
4 cups onions, minced
½ cup prepared creamed horseradish
3 cups tomato sauce
4 cups full-bodied red wine, preferably Cabernet Sauvignon
1 cup minced fresh parsley
½ cup dried marjoram
½ cup fresh minced garlic
6 bay leaves
4 cups rich beef stock (a good trick if you don’t have homemade: take canned or boxed stock, pour in sauce pan and reduce by ½. This will give you a good rich stock.)

1. Heat oven to 350°. Mix flour, salt, granulated garlic, dry thyme and pepper together. Place in a large bowl. Toss the short-ribs in this mix until well coated. Heat oil in a large heavy roasting pan over medium-high heat, and brown short ribs on each side. Remove short ribs to another pan, and cook carrots, celery, and onions until onions turn golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomato sauce, stir to blend and cook 2 to 3 minutes until bubbly.

2. Add red wine. Bring to boil, and cook until wine/vegetable mix is reduced by two-thirds, about 20 minutes. Add parsley, marjoram and bay leaves, fresh minced garlic, and beef stock to pan. Return short ribs to the pot. Bring to a boil, turn off heat and cover. Transfer to oven, and cook until meat is fork-tender, about 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until ribs are very tender.
(Note: the idea is to keep the ribs at a steady slow simmer in the oven . Check every half hour or so to make sure the temperature is right. If not lightly bubbling, increase heat by 25 degrees. If bubbling to much, reduce heat by 25 degrees. Slow steady simmer is what you are trying to achieve.)

3. Transfer short ribs to another container. Strain sauce through a colander into a medium-size sauce pan. Puree vegetables in blender, return to pan and bring to boil. Reduce sauce over medium heat until it thickens to a gravy like consistency, about 15 minutes or so. Adjust seasoning to taste, spoon sauce over short ribs, and serve on a bed of mashed potatoes. Or better yet, we love to serve these on a bed of soft Parmesan polenta. Good. Just plain good.

Enjoy!!