The New Year is only days away! Can you believe it?!?!? Usually I’d be finalizing plans with friends, booking a manicure apt and trying to put together a sparkly outfit. Not this year though. This New Years it will just be me, Andrew and the kitties. And that is ok with me. As much as I love ringing in the New Year surrounded by friends, popping bottles and laughing the night away there’s always that extra hassle.
Getting a ride to said party. Too many people and not enough bathrooms. Getting stuck in an awkward conversation with someone who’s a friend of a friend of a friend.(this never happens to you? Only me…tell me your secret!) When should we call a taxi so that we get home before 2am? Is Uber going to price gouge us because it’s a holiday? Hassle. New Year’s Eve is the one night I’m actually glad that we have to stay home.
So what are our plans? How are we going to ring in the New Year? We are going to enjoy some fondue, maybe take a bottle of Cantillon out of the cellar and play some games. There will still be sparkles and I may convince Andrew to dress up a little bit but we’ll see.
We love fondue and I shared our favorite recipe here. If we weren’t having that I would definitely make French style short ribs. I made these for a Sunday Supper a couple of weeks ago and they were delicious! These French Style Braised Short Ribs will make any night in feel special. The rich sauce is full of flavor and the hands on time minimal. If you’re still looking for a way to make your farewell to 2020 special, a fantastic meal is always a good idea.
French Style Braised Short Ribs
adapted from Closet Cooking
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef short ribs, cut into 3-4 inch pieces (I used boneless)
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 3 stalks celery, sliced
- 8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 cups dry red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon (or more broth)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 head of garlic, with the top removed
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon thyme, finely chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1 teaspoon rosemary, finely chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary)
- 2 tablespoons parsley, coarsely chopped for serving
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Brown the beef in a large, oven-safe, sauce pan over medium-high heat, about 3-4 minutes per side, and set aside. Save about a tablespoon of grease for cooking your veggies, add butter if needed.
- Sauté onions, carrots, celery, until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add in your mushrooms, cook for another 5 minutes or so.
- Stir in minced garlic and red pepper flakes, cook until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the broth, wine, tomato paste, head of garlic, balsamic vinegar, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, and beef, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and transfer to your preheated oven.
- Cook until the beef is fall apart tender, about 2-3 hours.
- After your cook time, remove meat and place your pan on the stove top over medium heat. You’re going to cook down your sauce a bit. I also ladled out about 1/2 cup of the liquid into a measuring cup and added 1 tablespoon of flour to it, whisking until blended. I then stirred my broth/flour liquid back into the pan. This helps to thicken the broth.
- Add your meat back in when you are happy with the thickness.
Remove the bay leaves, season with salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the head, serve over mashed potatoes with a sprinkle of parsley. It would also be really yummy served over french fries or just as a stew with a side of crusty bread.
Enjoy and Happy New Year!
Can you send me this recipe?
In an email?
This looks absolutely delicious! 😀 LOL, yes, I’ve been in awkward conversations with friends of friends too… 😉 Thanks for sharing!
Happy New Year!