I love buying meat from our local butcher. He keeps his own beef herd and always has a few ideas up his sleeve if I am struggling creatively.
I was in recently to buy some brisket and found out he had some short ribs in the back of the shop. I immediately jumped at the chance to buy them - I absolutely love short ribs.
Once considered more of an off-cut, short ribs are affordable and chock-full of deep, delicious flavour if you know how to cook them.
In Asian countries, you might find thin strips of short rib being cut across the rib; through the bone.
I love eating them this way; marinated and grilled over hot coals.
Being one of the tougher cuts on the animal, short ribs either require thin slices and very quick cooking, or larger pieces and very slow cooking, to bring out their best attributes.
My butcher cut between each rib for me, leaving large block-like chunks of meat around a single rib.
Short ribs are full of flavour - ask your butcher if they stock any. / Janine Kennedy
I like braising the short ribs on the bone this way. Once they're cooked, you can remove the bone with a single move before shredding the flavoursome meat.
I wasn't sure what to do with these short ribs, so I looked through my cupboards to get some inspiration.
Short ribs are great with Asian-style flavourings, such as garlic, soy and brown sugar, but they are equally good with western styles, such as French or Italian.
I decided to go Italian this time as I had some good-quality lasagne sheets in my cupboard.
This lasagne took a bit of work - and it took me two days to complete - but it was worth every minute (and I still have some in the freezer for a night when I just don't feel like cooking).
Serve it with a side salad and some garlic bread, or go classic Irish with coleslaw and chips. / Janine Kennedy
Serves 12
For the short rib ragu:
1.5kg bone-in beef short rib, cut into large pieces (your butcher can do this for you)
1 tbsp Irish rapeseed oil
2 large onions, roughly chopped
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp tomato puree
200ml red wine
400g tin chopped tomatoes
750ml beef stock
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs fresh thyme
For the lasagne:
500g uncooked lasagne sheets
500g shredded mozzarella cheese
500g ricotta cheese
1 bag baby spinach, wilted
Rind and juice of one lemon
1 clove garlic, finely grated
1 egg
Directions:
1 Make the short rib ragu: bring the short ribs to room temperature. Season generously with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 160°C and heat a large, oven-proof casserole pot on high heat. Add 1 tbsp of oil. Sear the short ribs piece by piece until browned on all sides (don't overcrowd the dish; do them in batches). When they are all seared, place the short ribs on a plate and set them aside.
2 Add a bit more oil to the pan and add the onions, carrots and celery. Saute the vegetables for five to seven minutes, until slightly soft. Add the garlic and saute for another minute.
3 Add the tomato puree and cook for two minutes. Add the red wine and bring to a simmer. Cook the red wine until reduced slightly, then add the tinned tomatoes and beef stock.
4 Add the short ribs back into the pot (with any juices on the plate) and bring the whole thing to a simmer. Add the bay leaves and thyme, then cover and place into the preheated oven.
5 Braise the short ribs for two to three hours in the oven. When they're finished, the meat will fall off the bone and will easily shred. Remove the meat from the sauce and then strain out the vegetables and discard (they have done their job at this stage).
6 I like to refrigerate the sauce and the meat separately at this stage. I let it cool down to room temperature before chilling in the fridge overnight. The next day, the excess fat will have solidified and will be easy to remove from the sauce.
7 The next day, reheat the sauce and bring to a simmer. Reduce the sauce until the desired consistency is reached (slightly thick but not syrupy). Shred the meat and add it into the sauce to let it all heat up together. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed, by adding salt and pepper.
8 Make the lasagne: preheat the oven to 180°C. In a large bowl, combine the wilted spinach, ricotta, egg, lemon zest and juice, grated garlic and a bit of salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
9 In a large, oven-safe dish, begin to layer the lasagne. Start with some of the short rib ragu, then add a layer of uncooked lasagne sheets. Add more ragu on top, then sprinkle some of the mozzarella cheese and add another layer of noodles.
10 On this layer, add the ricotta mixture and spread evenly. Add another layer of noodles, then add more ragu and mozzarella. Add more noodles, a final layer of ragu and a final sprinkling of mozzarella.
11 Cover the lasagne with tin foil and bake in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.
12 Remove the lasagne from the oven and let cool slightly (otherwise your slices will be a sloppy mess). Slice into 12 large portions and serve a slice with a side salad and some garlic bread (or go traditionally Irish with some crispy chips and coleslaw!).
*This lasagne, once cooked, can be frozen in portions for up to two months.
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I love buying meat from our local butcher. He keeps his own beef herd and always has a few ideas up his sleeve if I am struggling creatively.
I was in recently to buy some brisket and found out he had some short ribs in the back of the shop. I immediately jumped at the chance to buy them - I absolutely love short ribs.
Once considered more of an off-cut, short ribs are affordable and chock-full of deep, delicious flavour if you know how to cook them.
In Asian countries, you might find thin strips of short rib being cut across the rib; through the bone.
I love eating them this way; marinated and grilled over hot coals.
Being one of the tougher cuts on the animal, short ribs either require thin slices and very quick cooking, or larger pieces and very slow cooking, to bring out their best attributes.
My butcher cut between each rib for me, leaving large block-like chunks of meat around a single rib.
Short ribs are full of flavour - ask your butcher if they stock any. / Janine Kennedy
I like braising the short ribs on the bone this way. Once they're cooked, you can remove the bone with a single move before shredding the flavoursome meat.
I wasn't sure what to do with these short ribs, so I looked through my cupboards to get some inspiration.
Short ribs are great with Asian-style flavourings, such as garlic, soy and brown sugar, but they are equally good with western styles, such as French or Italian.
I decided to go Italian this time as I had some good-quality lasagne sheets in my cupboard.
This lasagne took a bit of work - and it took me two days to complete - but it was worth every minute (and I still have some in the freezer for a night when I just don't feel like cooking).
Serve it with a side salad and some garlic bread, or go classic Irish with coleslaw and chips. / Janine Kennedy
Serves 12
For the short rib ragu:
1.5kg bone-in beef short rib, cut into large pieces (your butcher can do this for you)
1 tbsp Irish rapeseed oil
2 large onions, roughly chopped
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp tomato puree
200ml red wine
400g tin chopped tomatoes
750ml beef stock
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs fresh thyme
For the lasagne:
500g uncooked lasagne sheets
500g shredded mozzarella cheese
500g ricotta cheese
1 bag baby spinach, wilted
Rind and juice of one lemon
1 clove garlic, finely grated
1 egg
Directions:
1 Make the short rib ragu: bring the short ribs to room temperature. Season generously with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 160°C and heat a large, oven-proof casserole pot on high heat. Add 1 tbsp of oil. Sear the short ribs piece by piece until browned on all sides (don't overcrowd the dish; do them in batches). When they are all seared, place the short ribs on a plate and set them aside.
2 Add a bit more oil to the pan and add the onions, carrots and celery. Saute the vegetables for five to seven minutes, until slightly soft. Add the garlic and saute for another minute.
3 Add the tomato puree and cook for two minutes. Add the red wine and bring to a simmer. Cook the red wine until reduced slightly, then add the tinned tomatoes and beef stock.
4 Add the short ribs back into the pot (with any juices on the plate) and bring the whole thing to a simmer. Add the bay leaves and thyme, then cover and place into the preheated oven.
5 Braise the short ribs for two to three hours in the oven. When they're finished, the meat will fall off the bone and will easily shred. Remove the meat from the sauce and then strain out the vegetables and discard (they have done their job at this stage).
6 I like to refrigerate the sauce and the meat separately at this stage. I let it cool down to room temperature before chilling in the fridge overnight. The next day, the excess fat will have solidified and will be easy to remove from the sauce.
7 The next day, reheat the sauce and bring to a simmer. Reduce the sauce until the desired consistency is reached (slightly thick but not syrupy). Shred the meat and add it into the sauce to let it all heat up together. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed, by adding salt and pepper.
8 Make the lasagne: preheat the oven to 180°C. In a large bowl, combine the wilted spinach, ricotta, egg, lemon zest and juice, grated garlic and a bit of salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
9 In a large, oven-safe dish, begin to layer the lasagne. Start with some of the short rib ragu, then add a layer of uncooked lasagne sheets. Add more ragu on top, then sprinkle some of the mozzarella cheese and add another layer of noodles.
10 On this layer, add the ricotta mixture and spread evenly. Add another layer of noodles, then add more ragu and mozzarella. Add more noodles, a final layer of ragu and a final sprinkling of mozzarella.
11 Cover the lasagne with tin foil and bake in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.
12 Remove the lasagne from the oven and let cool slightly (otherwise your slices will be a sloppy mess). Slice into 12 large portions and serve a slice with a side salad and some garlic bread (or go traditionally Irish with some crispy chips and coleslaw!).
*This lasagne, once cooked, can be frozen in portions for up to two months.
Read more
This isn't cottage pie - it's 'hot dish'
These farm-style brown sugar cookies are the perfect simple treat
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