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Short Rib Stroganoff with Peppered Sour Cream
Most of my cooking is based on spontaneity, but this dish, which has become a signature of mine, is based on one of the few my mom had in her repertoire. I always loved it as a kid, and, as so many chefs before have done with recipes from their childhood, I tweaked it to suit my taste. I use short ribs instead of ground beef, and a peppery sour cream and wild mushroom sauce in place of the canned cream of mushroom soup Mom relied on.
SERVES
6
Ingredients
For the short ribs:
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 5 pounds beef short ribs
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup diced onions
- 1/2 cup diced carrots
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1 (750 milliliter) bottle Cabernet Sauvignon or similar red wine
- 8 cups beef stock, preferably homemade
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 fresh bay leaves, or 1 dried
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon crushed star anise (1 to 2 stars)
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
For the marmalade:
- 6 to 8 shallots, cut into rings (about 1 cup)
- 1 fresh bay leaf
- 1 allspice berry
- 1 whole clove
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For the jus:
- 1 tablespoon plus one 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
- 1 large shallot, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 star anise
- 1 Thai peppercorn
- 1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon or similar red wine
For the peppercorn sour cream:
- 1 teaspoon whole pink peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon whole green peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
- 2 cups sour cream
- Salt
- 1 cup fresh dill sprigs, for garnish
Directions
- For the short ribs, preheat the oven to 250°F.
- In a heavy, oven-safe pot or Dutch oven, heat about half the oil over medium-high heat. Liberally season the ribs with salt and pepper. Sear on all sides until browned. As the ribs are browned, set aside, covered, until needed.
- Add the rest of the oil to the pot and cook the onions, carrots, and celery for three to four minutes, or until lightly caramelized. Add the wine and stir gently to deglaze the pan, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Return the ribs to the pot and add the stock and two cups of water.
- Put the garlic, bay leaves, thyme, star anise, and fennel seeds in a piece of cheesecloth. Gather the cheesecloth into a bundle and tie closed with a piece of kitchen twine to make a sachet. Add to the pot.
- Cover the pot with its lid or tightly with aluminum foil and braise for about four hours, or until the meat is fork-tender. Add more stock or water, if necessary.
- Lift the ribs from the pot and set aside to cool. Set the ribs on a rack sitting in a shallow pan to catch the drippings. Set aside the pot with the pan liquids.
- Meanwhile, for the marmalade, put the shallots, bay leaf, allspice berry, clove, and sugar in a saucepan. Add the vinegars and one tablespoon of water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid nearly evaporates and the shallots are translucent and sticky. Season with salt.
- Remove the allspice berry, clove, and bay leaf before serving.
- For the jus, degrease the pan juices from cooking the ribs and strain them through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the solids. Measure two cups of the pan juices.
- In a saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Cook the shallot and garlic, stirring, until caramelized. Add the bay leaf, thyme, star anise, peppercorn, and wine. Bring the wine to a boil; reduce the heat, and simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the two cups strained pan juices. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer a little more gently for about two hours, skimming any foam that rises to the surface. Adjust the heat up or down to maintain a simmer.
- Strain the jus through a fine-mesh sieve three times until it is as clear as possible.
- Carefully cut any fat from the cooled ribs and cut the meat into large cubes for serving.
- For the peppered sour cream, in a large, dry skillet, toast the peppercorns over medium- high heat for about three minutes, or until aromatic.
- Transfer the peppercorns to a spice grinder and grind finely. Fold the peppercorns into the sour cream and season with salt. Garnish with the dill.
- To serve the short ribs, toss the cubed meat with the jus and spoon with peppered sour cream.
