Sunday, December 6, 2009

She gets too hungry for dinner at eight....


After spending the afternoon putting up the Christmas decorations, we sat down to a hearty meal of short ribs that had been in the slow cooker all afternoon. It was the perfect way to spend a snowy evening!


Slow Cooker Short Ribs

3 lbs beef short ribs
1 large onion, sliced
¾ cup flour
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup vegetable or olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
3 cups red wine
2 cups beef broth
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water

Creamy Polenta

1 cup cornmeal
2 ½ cups chicken broth
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup whipping cream

Combine flour, salt and pepper in shallow dish. Dredge ribs in the mixture, coating them on all sides.

Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high; add ribs and brown on all sides. (Approx. 4 minutes for each side)

Remove ribs from pan and put them in the slow cooker. Drain fat from skillet. Add wine and deglaze, scraping up any bits from the pan.

Pour wine over short ribs. Add beef broth, thyme, rosemary and garlic to slow cooker. Set on medium or high and cook until ribs are tender. (4-6 hours)

Once ribs are cooked, remove from slow cooker and keep warm. Skim fat from surface of broth mixture. In a small saucepan on high, add 3-4 cups along with corn starch. Cook until thickened, season if necessary. Remove from heat.

Bring chicken broth to a boil. Add polenta in small quantities, stirring frequently to avoid lumps. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, continuing to stir. Remove from heat; stir in cheese and cream until melted.

Add polenta to each plate, place 2-3 ribs over it and pour enough sauce to coat ribs.

Enjoy!!

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