Meals That Make You Go "Mmmm"

That is exactly what my husband kept saying while he was eating this. I knew he was having some dental work done that day, so a soft comfort food is what I was aiming for. Every bite he took was a "Mmm", "so good", and "oh man". I guess he liked it.

I bought local grass fed beef short ribs and braised them in red wine, tomatoes, onions, and mustard. They fell off the bone and produced a wonderful sauce. I opted to use vegetable broth instead of beef stock to give it a lighter, fresher, edge. If it had been winter, I may have used the beef stock. I served them over light egg noodles, but pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes would be great as well.

Braised Short Ribs and Pasta (serves 4)

2 1/2 pounds beef short ribs (this was 3 ribs for me)
Salt and Pepper-to taste
2T olive oil
1/2 white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can no salt added crushed tomatoes (or 3 fresh Roma tomatoes)
3/4 c red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon
2T Dijon mustard
1 c vegetable broth
1t Worcestershire sauce
1 pound egg noodles
Parmesan cheese, grated
Chopped flat leaf parsley, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Season the ribs with salt and pepper generously. In a large ovenproof pot, heat oil on medium high heat. Add the ribs and brown on all sides, remove and set aside. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, wine, and mustard. Bring to a boil and scrape the bottom of the pan to release any brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pot. Return the ribs to the pan, add vegetable broth, Worcestershire sauce, cover, and place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours until the meat is fork tender and fall off easily from the bone

Remove the ribs from the cooking liquid. Using a large spoon, gently remove any excess fat floating at the top of the cooking liquid and discard. Using an immersion blender or a food processor, blend the cooking liquid until smooth. Return the sauce to the pan, if needed, and keep warm over low heat.

Using two forks shred the rib meat and stir into the sauce, season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve over the cooked egg noodles, top with the Parmesan cheese and parsley.