This is the ultimate comfort food. You will be swooning with the aroma that permeates the house. And because the bulk of the work is done ahead of time, it also happens to be a perfect dish for entertaining. You really can’t go wrong, it is a very forgiving recipe and well worth your efforts. Trust me, this will become an instant favorite for anyone that tries it!

INGREDIENTS
12 beef short ribs
1/2 cup flour, seasoned with kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
3 large onions, chopped
1 lbs. carrots, chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
6 shallots, whole or cut in half if large, peeled
2 cups of good red wine
Fresh sprigs rosemary
Fresh sprigs thyme
6-8 cups of beef or chicken stock
1 Tbs. brown sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325º.
First, pat the ribs dry, with a paper towel, and rub them with a dusting of flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, preheat a Dutch oven (or other heavy, covered ovenproof pan), with some of the oil. Then, brown the ribs on all sides at medium-high heat, for about 7-8 minutes. Remove them to a plate, add the additional oil and continue to brown the remaining ribs. Most importantly, do not to crowd the pan and do take the time for multiple batches, to ensure adequate browning. Then, put the browned ribs aside.

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Next, with a little oil, add the onions, carrots, celery and shallots to the pan. Season with salt, fresh ground pepper and sauté, on medium-high heat, until browned and translucent. Then, add the wine to the vegetables and simmer for 10-15 minutes, to reduce the liquid.

Once the liquid has reduced, with kitchen twine, tie the rosemary and thyme together, and add it to the pot. Finally, place the ribs on top of the vegetables and herbs, and add enough stock to cover the ribs by and inch or two.

Then, roast in the oven for about two hours. After the two hours, test the meat for doneness, by piercing the meat with a fork or paring knife and it should give easily. Remove the ribs to a plate, and let the sauce cool a bit. When the sauce is cooled enough that the fat has come to the top, skim the fat off. However, if you’re cooking this the day before serving, the fat will have congealed and therefore, you can more easily lift the fat off. After defatting the sauce, use an immersion blender (if you prefer a chunky sauce, you can omit this step) to smooth the sauce. Then, add the brown sugar and put the ribs back into the pot. Cover and continue cooking for about another hour.

When ready to serve, plate the ribs, one to two per person, depending on size and spoon the sauce over the ribs. This is perfect with horseradish mashed potatoes, sautéd carrots, and some additional sauce on the side. Sprinkle with chopped parsley or chives, to add some color.

NOTE:
If you have the time, this is actually best if done the day before serving. That gives the flavors more time to meld and makes the job of defatting the sauce much easier.

Should you have any leftovers, this makes a terrific pasta dish. Simply shred the remaining meat over penne, ziti, or rigatoni, and add some of the sauce (you will have much more sauce than meat), to get the consistency you prefer and mix well. Serve with a nice salad and some crusty bread. It will be one of the best leftover meals you’ve ever created.

To be honest, this was never a soup that I ever wanted to try. I had a very good friend that made it fairly often and tried to get me to give it a whirl. Each time, I thanked her and politely declined. Somehow, the army green color was a real issue for me.

However, eventually I felt pressured to finally try it. I was visiting a friend in Vermont for the weekend and the verbal buildup to “I have an incredible lunch for you, your going to love it” led me to cave and finally try it. The buildup to the lunch was significant and I was quite excited, after my long drive, until of course, she told me what it was! I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I wouldn’t even try it…that the color was a COMPLETE turn-off. So, I did what any gracious and grateful guest would do, I tried it. Guess what, I loved it! So, sometimes you just have to be pushed, shamed, pressured into putting your preconceived notions aside and just TRY IT!

It also doesn’t hurt that this recipe could not be simpler and a definite must when you have a leftover ham bone. It’s delicious, healthy, quick, and a wonderfully hearty soup, perfect for a cold winter’s day. Please give it a try.

INGREDIENTS
1 lb. dry green split peas
6 cups chicken broth
1 ham bone or as a distant second choice, a small ham steak
1 each small onion & medium carrot, diced
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS
First, sort and rinse the dried peas. Next, in a 6 quart pot, combine all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat, cover the pot and simmer until the peas are tender, about 30 minutes.
When cool enough to handle, cut and dice the meat off of the bone. Do add more water if you find the soup too thick for you taste. Finally, top with fresh croutons, if desired and serve with a piece of crusty bread.

NOTES
This recipe makes quite a large quantity and thus makes it great choice for the freezer. Although it freezes exceptionally well, it does thicken a bit and all you need to do is add a bit of water, to the consistency that you prefer and serve as indicated above.