I love a comforting braised dish served over creamy carbs in the winter. These Braised Short Ribs with Sunchoke Puree are an elevated comfort food approachable enough to make in your own kitchen.
It’s sunchoke season.
How many of you out there are sunchoke fans? Who’s never tried a sunchoke but is willing to go for it now?
Sunchokes are typically available from September through April. Sunchokes are one of my favorite underused tubers. They’re like a cross between a potato and an artichoke with the texture of water chestnut.
But don’t be confused. They bare no relation to the artichoke. They are in fact a root of the sunflower. Pretty cool, right?
Since this braised short rib dish is luscious and rich, I decided to go all out. I made the sunchoke puree with cream and butter. No cutting corners here. Put on your oversized sweaters and take a seat at the table.
One of the garnishes to my dish is actually sunchoke chips. The chips are completely optional, but they’re such a fun, textural component you won’t regret the extra effort of frying them up.
I love to use an ingredient in two different ways, especially to create contrasting textures in a dish. One example would be the kale chips versus boiled kale in my Thai Red Curry Lentil Soup. Another example is the crispy versus soft chickpeas in my Herbed Chickpea and Quinoa Salad. I guess it’s been a trend in my kitchen lately.
The Flavor is in the BROWN
Clearly, I’m still upset The Chew was cancelled. I can’t get those Carla Hall quotes out of my head. But it’s true. The flavor IS in the brown.
The image above shows my short ribs right after the initial browning process before they are cooked through. We don’t want any gross grey meat around here.
The flavor is also in the aromatics, red wine and my secret ingredient… balsamic vinegar. I use the classic combo of carrots, celery and onion to build the flavor foundations in my sauce.
I like to strain the vegetables out inthe end for this particular dish, but there’s no harm in leaving them be and keeping things a bit more rustic.
Acidity is a crucial component of most recipes, including these Braised Short Ribs. The acidity of the red wine and balsamic provide balance against the fatty meat. Balsamic vinegar may sound like a strange ingredient, but as it cooks down, it gives off just the right amount of sweet and sour flavor.
More hearty braised recipes:
- Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
- Pappardelle with Short Rib Ragu
- Instant Pot Short Ribs
- Apple Cider Braised Turkey Legs
- Chicken and Dumpling Soup
- Spaghetti Bolognese
- Rigatoni with Braised Sausage in Red Wine Tomato Sauce
- Indian Spiced Lamb Curry with Eggplant and Yogurt Sauce
- Braised Chicken Thighs and Artichokes with Polenta
- Coq Au Vin Blanc
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Braised Short Ribs with Sunchoke Puree
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These Braised Short Ribs with Sunchoke Puree are an elevated comfort food approachable enough to make in your own kitchen.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ lbs beef short ribs (about 6 pieces)
- 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 3 medium carrots, peeled, chopped in ½ inch pieces
- 2 stalks celery, chopped in ½ inch pieces
- 1 medium onion, chopped in ½ inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups red wine
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 cups beef stock, plus more as needed
- 2–3 sprigs thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
Sunchokes:
- 1 ¾ lbs sunchokes, divided
- ½ cup heavy cream, or as needed
- 4 tbsp butter, softened at room temperature
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- Kosher salt
- Finely chopped parsley and lemon zest, for serving
Instructions
- Brown the ribs: Heat a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Pat short ribs dry and season liberally with salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to pot followed by ribs. Brown well, about 4-5 minutes per side. Brown in batches, if needed. Transfer short ribs to a plate. Discard oil.
- Cook aromatics: Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to pan. Add carrots, celery and onions to pan. Season with salt. Cook about 20 minutes or until vegetables are very cooked down and sweet. Lower heat to low, when needed, to avoid browning. Add garlic and sauté one minute.
- Add liquids and meat: Add wine and vinegar to pan. Increase heat to high. Bring to a boil and cook down by half. Add beef back to pan. Add thyme and bay leaves. Pour in about 2 cups of stock or enough to just cover ribs. Bring to a boil, partially covered. Reduce to medium low and simmer 2 to 2 ½ hours or until very tender, adding more stock as needed to keep ribs covered. You may also transfer pot to oven at 350°F after bringing to a boil to cook ribs through. Cover and keep warm.
- Make sunchoke puree: While short ribs are simmering, bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil. Peel 1 ½ pounds of the sunchokes and cut into 1 inch pieces. Add to boiling water and cook 10-15 minute or until very tender. Drain. While sunchokes boil, bring cream to a simmer in a small pot. Once simmering, shut off heat and cover to keep warm. Add sunchokes to a food processor with ¼ cup of warm cream, softened butter and salt to taste. Blend until smooth. Add additional cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is achieved. For an extra creamy texture, press mixture through a fine sieve. Keep warm until ready to use.
- Make sunchoke chips: Warm two inches of vegetable oil to 350°F in a small pot. Peel remaining ¼ lb of sunchokes. Slice into thin rounds on a mandolin. Fry in batches for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Season generously with salt while hot. Repeat with remaining sunchokes.
- Strain and thicken sauce: Remove ribs from braising liquid. Pour braising liquid through a strainer. Discard vegetables, herbs and any other solids. Add strained liquid back to pot. Bring to a simmer and cook down for several minutes until slightly thickened. Add short ribs back to pot and coat in sauce.
- Serve: Spoon sunchoke puree over serving dishes. Top with one or two short ribs per plate. Spoon over additional sauce. Top with sunchoke chips and finely chopped parsley and lemon zest. Enjoy.
- Category: Main
- Method: Braise
- Cuisine: Italian, American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of ribs and sunchokes
- Calories: 875
- Sugar: 26g
- Sodium: 140mg
- Fat: 43g
- Saturated Fat: 19g
- Carbohydrates: 61g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 43g
Keywords: braised short ribs, red wine braised short ribs, short ribs, sunchoke puree, mashed sunchokes
I love sun chokes. I usually roast or braise them.
I love them roasted too! I’ll have to try to braise them next 🙂
The brown is definitely the flavour. That is good advice. The Maillard reaction is key in so many dishes. The balsamic vinegar is a really nice touch too.
★★★★★
So true. Thank you 🙂
This is a beautiful dish Sabrina!
Thanks, mom 🙂