Hangover Stew

I was sick as a dog yesterday. Spent the day in bed. My head was pounding and I felt nauseous all day. Either I caught some icky germ at the gym or I had a hangover from the whole bottle of wine used in the new short rib recipe I tried. Since I don't want to give up exercising, the ribs are going down.

Sadly, this recipe is PHENOMENAL. Everybody liked it which rarely happens. The flavor is rich and intense. How can it not be with a whole bottle of wine in it? And, even though it cooks for a long time, it's easy to make. It's a yummy winter comfort food. And, since nobody else in the family got sick,  I'm going to test my luck and eat the leftovers for dinner tonight. We'll see what happens.

But, I'm scared.

I don't want to spend the day in bed again tomorrow.

But, I have to figure this out.

I'll think I'll have two Motrin and a quart of water for dessert to be safe.

But, I'm still scared.

If anyone else wants to join me in my little experiment, here is the recipe. We can chase it with Bloody Marys for breakfast. Cheers!

Note: We served it over egg noodles for the ballerinas and boiled potatoes for the adults. It would be yummier over mashed potatoes, but that was too much trouble. Other people have recommended creamy polenta which sounds even better.

Hangover Stew 

(adapted from a Barefoot Contessa recipe)
(It's not a very photogenic meal, but don't let that deter you.)

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 6 beef short ribs, trimmed of fat
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion (2 onions)
• 4 large celery stalks, large-diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and large-diced
• 1 small fennel, fronds, stems, and core removed, large-diced
• 1 leek, cleaned and large-diced, white part only
• 2-3 Tablespoons tomato paste
  
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 (750-ml) bottle burgundy or other dry red wine
• Fresh rosemary sprigs
• Fresh thyme sprigs
• 4-6 cups LOW SODIUM beef stock (I used 4 cups b/c I like it thicker like a stew.)
  
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the short ribs on a sheet pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven and add the onion, celery, carrots, fennel, and leek and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato paste and mix well. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

Pour the wine over the vegetables, bring to a boil, and cook over high heat until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Tie the rosemary and thyme together with kitchen twine and add to the pot. If you can, maybe put the herbs in a little bit of cheesecloth first. I had lots of rosemary leaves floating in the stew at the end.

Place the roasted ribs on top of the vegetables in the Dutch oven and add the beef stock and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Cover the Dutch oven and bake for 2 hours or until the meat is very tender.

Carefully remove the short ribs from the pot and set aside. Discard the herbs and skim the excess fat. Cook the vegetables and sauce over medium heat for 20 minutes, until reduced. Put the ribs back into the pot and heat through. Serve with the vegetables and sauce.