I am a huge fan of Cooking Light. I look forward to it coming in the mail each month! A large share of our dinners come from there, even though they don’t always make it on the blog. I have NOT mastered taking pictures when it is dark out, so more times than not I don’t write about them. But this one just had to be written about. The second I saw this recipe I knew I wanted to make it, it was just a matter of when. The October issue came right when my husband was getting ready to move to Colorado and we would be apart for the near future. So it was going to have to wait. Last week when my in laws were here and we were trying to figure out what to make for dinner, it seemed like the perfect time to pull this out. My father in law is not an adventurous eater; he is a meatloaf kind of guy. This was a little out on a limb for him (especially the polenta), but he ate it and liked it!
This does take some time, so it is a weekend kind of meal. Most of the time is when the meat in the oven, not so much hands on work. But you have to have a solid 2 1/2 hours from start to finish to make it. This plates beautifully (don’t mind my pictures), so it would be a great way to impress dinner guests. Plus it is from Cooking Light, so it is low in calories!
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Cabernet Braised Short Ribs with Creamy Polenta
Slightly Adapted from Cooking Light
Ribs
3 pounds bone-in beef short ribs (I used boneless beef country style ribs)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
3/4 cup shallots, chopped
1/2 cup carrot, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped (I left this out)
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 sprig rosemary
2 1/2 cups cabernet sauvignon or other red wine
1 1/4 cups beef stock
1 tsp flour
2 tsp water
1 Tbls balsamic vinegar (realize now I forgot this)
Gremolata
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
1 clove garlic, minced
Polenta
2 cups fat free milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup polenta
1 tsp salt
2 oz low fat cream cheese
Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Heat Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add olive oil to pan, swirl to coat. Add ribs and cook for 4-6 minutes a side, until browned. Remove ribs from pan. Place onion, shallots, carrot, celery, garlic and rosemary in the pan. Saute for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add wine to the pan, scraping to loosen the brown bits. Bring to a boil and cook for 13 minutes or until reduced to about 2 cups.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add stock to the pan, and bring to a boil. Return the meat to the pot. Cover and place in the oven for 1 1/2 hours, turning the ribs over after 45 minutes. Remove ribs and cover with foil to keep warm. Strain the wine through a strainer. Discard the vegetables, and return the liquid to the pan over medium high heat. Combine the flour and water in a bowl. Add to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook for 11 minutes or until it has reduced to about 1 cup. Stir in vinegar.
To prepare the gremolata. Combine parsley, lemon rind and garlic.
To prepare polenta. Bring milk and chicken broth to a boil. Stir in polenta and salt. Cook for 15 minutes (unless you have quick cooking polenta), stirring occasionally until thick. Add cream cheese and stir until well combined.
To serve place about 1/2 cup polenta on each plate. Top with 2 ribs (depending on size), spoon over plenty of sauce, and sprinkle with gremolata. Serve with bread to soak up all the sauce.
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Steve @ the black peppercorn says
Braised short ribs are incredible! This looks great and placing them on polenta is a great idea! Yum! I haven’t braised and ribs in a while. I think I need to pick some up
Eileen says
Pure comfort food in my book! I totally get how difficult it is to take pictures when it turns dark. There are so many meals I could have shared on my blog if the lighting was just better.
Heidi Loebig says
Anything that contains red wine and food is a winner in my book!!
Isabelle @ Crumb says
Oh yum. I’ve been craving braised short ribs for a little while now, and these look just perfect! Plus, any recipe that gives me an excuse to crack open a nice bottle of red wine is fine by me. 🙂
BTW, I’m with you on the whole trouble with taking pictures after dark… it’s really hard to make food look good under artificial light. 😛
claire @ the realistic nutritionist says
YUM!!! I love that you paired them with polenta instead of mashed potatoes. Such a unique twist!
Anna says
This looks so good! Great post. Buzzed!
Kiri W. says
Wow, what a perfectly delicious meal! I love braising meats in wine, and polenta is such a lovely side. I wish I could steal a plate! 😉
Lacy says
MMmmm!! I love braised short ribs! This looks amazing w/ the polenta. I need to get a subscription to cooking light, I’ve been overdoing it since Thanksgiving! (Happy New Yr by the way — I’ve been a little absent)
Cucina49 says
At first I thought you were kidding when you said this was low in calories–it looks too good to be healthy!
RavieNomNoms says
That looks amazing!! It must have such a good flavor!
Eva Kitcheninspirations.wordpress.com says
Braised short rib is one of my husbands favourite dinners; he usually orders it when we go out (mainly French restaurants). I must give it a try one day when I have time on a weekend. The braising liquid sounds very delicious, similar to Bœuff Bourgignon that we make.
Tina@flourtrader says
This recipe is replacing the one I have that calls for three, not one not two but three bottles of wine! Short ribs are tasty when prepared correctly and these look spot on. Also great plating with the bed of polenta. Delicious!
Emily @ Life on Food says
This looks delicious! Short ribs is perfect for a nice fancy dinner on a cold winter night. My pictures have definitely gone down hill since the sun goes to bed so early. I guess we can thank our stars that the days are now getting longer. I am counting the days till spring.
Janet@FCTC says
ooo, I saw this recipe too and had wanted to try it. Now I KNOW it will be good. Looks great, Erin!
claudia lamascolo says
Very impressive wow,,,,
Liz says
Your FIL sounds like my FIL…but I bet I could win him over with this. Not sure about polenta, but worth a shot, too! Great meal, Erin~
Valerie @ From Valerie's Kitchen says
I LOVE short ribs beyond words. These look fantastic since I’m also a huge fan of polenta. Definitely a keeper!
Meghan says
Perfect winter food, and love short ribs paired with polenta. Great recipe! Hope you & your family had a wonderful holiday!!
Nava Krishnan says
Though ribs are not part of our diet, its nice to see the final touch and serving it with polenta looks so tasty and inviting.
Ramona says
Now you know you won brownie points cooking for the in laws. 🙂 Looks like a fabulous dinner. I have got to try polenta… I like the addition of cream cheese. 🙂
Carolyn says
I adore shortribs and these ones sound delicious! Thanks for sharing this one.
Alyssa says
Ohhh I love short ribs and these look to-die-for!!!! I would totally serve this at a dinner party, but I bet it would be good anytime. I especially love the idea of a gremolata on top. Great recipe!
Rodzilla says
I never thought I would see short ribs in cooking light – definitely one of their heavier recipes, but it looks like it’s well worth it.
Kimby says
Erin, it must have been fun to cook for your in-laws in your new place — a great winter meal! Liked the touch of cream cheese in the polenta…yum!
Stephanie says
I saved this recipe when I saw it too! I’ve never made short ribs! These look so delicious!