Braised Shortribs With Gorgonzola Chantrelle Risotto And Baby Spinach.

This was an excellent dish. The gorgonzola went very well with the risotto and the chanterelles and they both provided a superb contrast to the rich wine sauce from the short ribs. I can’t think of a greater accompaniment to this dish. Mash is good but it gets a little tired after a while.
These are two average sized short ribs, ample for one person. Two might be a little too much for one person but one would not have been enough. Three ribs would probably be enough for two people but I wouldn’t take a chance.
These ribs marinated for two days in red wine and a mire poix. A mirepoix is a selection of vegetables cut up and used for marinating. Mirepoix http://classical-french-cuisine.suite101.com/article.cfm/mirepoix is usually thrown out after cooking so there is no need to be fussy. I use vegetables with the skin on and left over peelings if they are large enough.
I also add a head of garlic cut in two, thyme, bay leaf, parsley stalks, some whole peppercorns and a spoonful of olive oil. Cover the ribs and mirepoix with red wine. There is no need for anything expensive. I use Rossi burgundy wine in the jar.Marinate this entire thing in the fridge for two days. Mix the marinade over the period of the two days. I usually turn the whole thing over in the bowl every eight hours or so.

To cook:
Remove meat from marinade; strain the vegetables and the ribs. Keep the red wine to make the sauce. Sauté the ribs in a medium pan on all sides until brown. Remove from the pan and put them aside. Add the vegetables to the pan and sauté them until they are well browned then put the beef back in with the vegetables. Cook the beef and the vegetables together until all flavors are well combined then add tomato paste and continue to cook. Add a little water to this mix and reduce well in order to concentrate the flavors. Add a half cup of flour or so and mix well. At this point you can add the wine and some water, bring to the boil and add the whole mix to the slow cooker. This takes a while to cook.
When the ribs are cooked remove the meat and reduce the sauce to concentrate the flavor and thicken. Then strain the sauce into an appropriately sized saucepan and adjust the seasoning, add the meat back in and keep warm until the rest of the ingredients are ready.
The Risotto is made in the usual manner; at the end add some gorgonzola and allow the cheese to warm slightly before serving.