Flash in the Pan

While on a shopping excursion in the Brattleboro Food Coop, I came across a bottle of St. Peter's English Ale. Imported from Suffolk, England, the brew was good - round flavor with a pleasant hint of bitterness at the end. Unfortunately, my capacity for alcohol is limited, and I went through only half the bottle. But as we had some short ribs that needed tending to, I decided that a little braising would be in order:

Beer-Braised Short Ribs

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 4 lbs. short ribs
• 6 ounces beer (I used St. Peter's English Ale)
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped (optional)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp basil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp cardamom seeds

Directions>

1. Heat oven to 250 degrees F.
2. Mix flour, salt, and pepper together. Dredge short ribs in mixture. Heat 12-inch frying pan over high heat, add olive oil, and brown ribs on all sides. Transfer to dutch oven.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Add onions and celery, cooking until onions are translucent. Add garlic and continue cooking until onions are browned. Add mixture to dutch oven.
4. Add beer to pan and deglaze. After dissolving all solids, add tomatoes, basil, bay leaves, and cardamom. Heat through. Add to dutch oven.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover dutch oven and place in oven. Cook for three hours. Serve with egg noodles.

Serves 4-6, depending on the appetites. I found that kim chi goes well with this dish, as do braised greens.

Labels: beef, beer, braise, casserole, entree, opinion, recipe, review