Here’s the recipe for my braised short ribs with leeks.  It’s a recipe I adapted from one by Wolfgang Puck, but much simpler and more accessible.  It came out beautiful and tasty.

Braised Short Ribs with Red Wine and Leeks

Ingredients:

1 bottle Cabernet Sauvignon

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

6 beef short ribs

Kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon ground ginger

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 head garlic, peeled

4 large shallots, peeled, trimmed, rinsed, split and dried

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths

2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch lengths

2 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, coarsely chopped

6 sprigs Italian flat-leaf parsley

2 sprigs thyme

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons tomato paste

4 cups beef (or chicken) stock

1 can beef consommé

Preparation:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large casserole, large enough to hold 6 ribs, over medium-high heat. Mix the flour, salt, ground ginger, and black pepper in a large plastic food storage bag.  Two at a time, place the short ribs in the bag with the flour mixture, blow up the bag, tie it off, and shake well until the short ribs are coated with the flour (you can also use a traditional flour-dredging pan, but I prefer the plastic-bag method. It’s much neater).  When the oil is hot, slip two ribs into the pot and sear for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until well browned.

Transfer the browned ribs to a plate and repeat with the remaining ribs, two at a time.  Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pot; lower the heat to medium, and toss in the vegetables and herbs. Brown the vegetables lightly, 5 to 7 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to blend.

Add the reduced wine, browned ribs, stock and consommé to the pot. Bring to a boil; cover the pot tightly, and place it into the oven to braise for 2 to 2 ½ hours, or until a kitchen fork pierces the meat easily and comes back out without lifting the meat. Every 30 minutes or so, lift the lid and skim and discard whatever fat may have bubbled up to the surface.