Ingredients
- 2kg meaty short ribs
- 1 whole bulb garlic, cut in half
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 bottle good red wine
- 1 litre rich beef broth
- 500g mushrooms
- 100g pancetta, optional
- 50g butter
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Beef tallow, for browning
Method
-
1Brown the ribs. Heat a generous spoon of tallow in a heavy pan and sear the short ribs until deeply caramelised on all sides. This is where the flavour begins.
-
2Build the base. Transfer the ribs to a casserole dish and pour off most of the fat, reserving a little. In the same pan, add the halved garlic bulb and tomato purée and cook for about 30 seconds to take off the raw taste.
-
3Deglaze and reduce. Pour in the red wine, scraping up the fond from the pan. Reduce by half, then pour over the ribs along with half the beef stock.
-
4Slow cook. Cover with a lid, or parchment and foil, and place in the oven at 160C for around 4 hours, checking every 40 minutes and topping up with stock as needed.
-
5Finish and rest. Once the meat is tender and falling off the bone, switch off the oven and let it rest for an hour. Meanwhile, fry the pancetta until crisp, then add the mushrooms and butter. Cook until golden and glossy, then spoon over the stew.
-
6Serve. Scatter with chopped parsley just before serving.
Tip: Rest the stew for an hour in the switched-off oven before serving.
