My Best Short Rib Stew Recipe
SCRAPS #74: not-to-brag-but-the-best short rib stew from Pass the Plate
My cookbook Pass the Plate is out in just 2 days!!! I’m sharing this recipe from my cookbook Pass the Plate to give you a taste of what’s inside! Sharing recipes with you brings me immeasurable joy and I can’t wait to see some pictures and hear what you think of this stew. I never get tired of seeing recipes you made! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing my food to be a part of your world!
Beautifully marbled short ribs seared to perfection, nestled in a spiced, veggie-heavy broth sweetened with prunes and red wine, and gently cooked till the meat falls off the bone—how comforting does that sound?! Prunes are my secret ingredient in this delicious stew. During the process of drying plums to make prunes, the fruit develops a concentrated, yet subtle sweetness, a jammy texture and earthy, chocolaty undertones. That wonderful flavor profile seeps into our stew, coating the fall-off-the-bone ribs in a rich, silky, deep bur- gundy sauce. Every time I serve this, I like having my guests guess the secret ingredient, and have yet to find someone who discovers the answer without any hints. If you can’t get your hands on prunes, dried apricots or dates will lead you to a similar result.
This stew is incredible served over pappardelle pasta, polenta or even just alongside some crusty bread and a green salad.
I know you’ve heard me say this before but the book is full of delicious and approachable recipes! You’ll find in it everything from easy one-pan dinners, vegetarian dinners, to comforting soups, stews, pasta recipes, refreshing salads, easy desserts , nosh and nibble appetizers and more. All 100 recipes in the cookbook come with a photo, since it’s so much easier to follow a recipe if you can visualize the final result.
This is from the Pick-A-Protein chapter in Pass the Plate and like many of my recipes I include an ingredient you probably wouldn’t have guessed but adds so much flavor and leaves you wanting more. Enjoy!
These few days before books are released and the first week are crucial for the book’s success, so if you consider preordering, I would be so grateful! I added some links for you below.
Your support is why I can continue doing what I love and provide you with fun, delicious recipes. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
If you can’t buy the cookbook, you can still support me just by making these recipes and sharing them with your friends. Having people make my recipes is what drives and inspires me, I can’t thank you enough for being here!
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Can’t wait to see you on the road! Tickets include a copy of Pass the Plate from your local independent bookshop.
More recipes from Pass the Plate I made last week:
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours 40 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours
Serves 4
Printable recipe:
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as sunflower or grapeseed
3 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
Kosher salt
3 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
12 celery stalks (about 1 bunch), roughly chopped
5 medium shallots, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups red wine
2 heaping cups prunes (about 14 oz)
2 small garlic heads, top cut off, root attached
1 cinnamon stick (optional)
Chopped fresh parsley and or chives for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed ovenproof pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Generously season the short ribs all over with salt. Working in batches, sear the short ribs on all sides, until each side has developed a dark brown crust, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the seared ribs to a plate.
In the same pot, cook the carrots, celery, shallots, and a big pinch of salt over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft- ened and less vibrant, 20 to 25 minutes. If the bottom of the pan starts to burn, add a splash of water to deglaze it.
Add the tomato paste, peppercorns, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and cay- enne and stir to coat the vegetables. Cook, stirring frequently, until the tomato paste turns a rich, burgundy color, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in the wine, prunes, garlic heads, cinnamon stick (if using), 3 cups water, and a big pinch of salt. Using tongs, add the short ribs, submerging them in the liquid.
Cover the pot, transfer to the oven, and bake for 3 hours. The meat will be super tender and should come away from the bone easily.
Using tongs, carefully transfer the short ribs to a plate. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl. Strain out the vegetables and whole spices and discard the solids. You’ll be left with a delicious, dark brown gravy (see Note).
Spoon the gravy over the short ribs, top with the fresh herbs, and serve.
Note: I like to serve the gravy as is but if you’d like it a little thicker, simmer it in a pot for 8 or 10 minutes over medium heat to reduce it.
The timing couldn’t be better. I have a package of short ribs I took out of the freezer yesterday and was wanting to do something different with them this time around. Off to grab some prunes. 🏃♀️
Made this last night, it was very excellent. Ran into a slight issue with the peppercorns. The short ribs were perfectly cooked, fall off the bone. When removing the meat before straining the sauce it was hard not to grab a few peppercorns as they stick to the meat. It’s hard to get a peppercorn surprise when you’re eating dinner. Next time I make it I’ll use ground pepper instead. Subbed dates for prunes, also worked perfectly as suggested in the recipe. Thanks!