Garlic-Tomato Short Ribs

 by Shannon Hayes (The Grassfed Gourmet Cookbook)
(Serves 6 to 8)

2 tablespoons sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
6-7 pounds (beef) short ribs
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium carrots, scraped, finely chopped plus 3 carrots, scraped and sliced into narrow, 2 inch strips for later use
2 medium onions, finely chopped
16 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons savory
1 teaspoon fennel
1 teaspoon dried lavender heads (optional)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups cabernet sauvignon
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
2 bay leaves
¾ cup oil cured black olives, pitted

Preheat oven to 300-degrees.

Combine the salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Spread mixture lightly on each of the short ribs; set aside on a large platter.

Heat the olive oil in a 8-quart ovenproof pot that can be covered later, add the seasoned ribs in batches, and brown. Set aside.

Add the finely chopped carrots and onions to the drippings and cook until tender. Toss in the cloves of garlic, the herbs, and flour. Stir well to incorporate the flour. Add the wine and beef broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes and the bay leaves, and return to a boil for 1 minute. Add the ribs and any lingering juices, cover the pot, and bake in the oven for 3 to 4 hours, or until the meat is fork-tender.

Remove the pot from the oven. Remove ribs from sauce and set aside. Add the carrot sticks and black olives to the sauce; simmer on top of the stove, uncovered, for an additional 15 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. Return the ribs to sauce and serve. These ribs go well with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Slow-Cooker Version;

As described above, coat the short ribs with salt and pepper, and brown in olive oil. Place the ribs and all the ingredients (except the carrot sticks and olives in al large slow cooker, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until the meat is fork-tender. Remove the ribs, and keep warm. Add the carrots and olives to the slow cooker, and cook on high, uncovered, for 20 minutes, until the carrots are tender and the sauce has thickened slightly.

(Everyone enjoyed these tender and tasty short ribs. Since I was doing all four recipes, I browned the ribs and made the sauce the night before. Then in the morning I moved everything to the slow cooker and let it to its thing. I wasn’t able to get the carrots cooked in the 20 minutes it suggests, so I ended up putting the sauce back on the stove to cook the carrots. I left out the lavender, used regular canned olives, and used diced tomatoes in place of the crushed with no apparent ill effects. I also cut the recipe in half. This recipe was well worth the effort!)