For years I’ve been a part of this online cookbook buying “club” called The Good Cook. It’s similar to the old Columbia House CD buying program where you get a certain number of books for cheap (in this case 4 for $1 each) and then have to buy a few more at regular club price. Once you fulfill your membership requirements you get access to all sorts of deals. This isn’t an advertisement for The Good Cook at all… I’m just setting up the story 
A few weeks ago I got an email to save 60% of regular club prices. Normally I ignore the emails but this time decided to check out what cookbooks they had. To my delight they had by Amanda Hesser and by Dorie Greenspan, both books I’d been coveting for months. I ended up ordering BOTH for less than $33 (I cashed in some bonus points too).
I was super excited to crack open the Dorie Greenspan because my friend Mardi over at Eat. Live. Travel. Write. has been cooking from it for months and everything has turned out wonderfully. One of the most delicious-sounding dishes that I saw on Mardi’s blog was for Short Ribs with Red Wine and Port. I’m a big fan of short ribs and I happen to also enjoy the red wine and port, so there was no way this wouldn’t be amazing.
This is the kind of meal that you make for Sunday dinner but with some pre-planning and cooking a bit the night before you could make it on a weeknight. It definitely involves some work. The ribs need to be broiled prior to cooking, vegetables have to be sauteed and everything has to cook in the oven for about 2-3 hours. After that the ribs have to be braised again while you reduce the sauce. HOLY!
But trust me, the results are worth it. The ribs aren’t overly boozy at all despite the two types of alcohol. The flavour was rich with spices, the essence of the vegetables and a hint of the alcohol. I served this with the gremolata and it was a wonderful addition. The bit of fresh herbs and citrus rind really just elevates the flavours of the dish and adds a bit of brightness.
I would definitely serve this to company, friends couldn’t help but be impressed by this goodness. One thing to note, in Dorie’s book it doesn’t say anything about getting the pot to boil before going into the oven. Normally when I finish a stew in the oven I put it in at least simmering. As a result my ribs didn’t cook as I thought they should’ve. I ended up putting them BACK on the stove, bring it to a boil and putting it back in the oven to finish.
Oh! And may I also add that Port is pretty delicious? I had it for the first time in a wine-tasting class that I took a few months ago and enjoyed it alongside nuts and dried fruits. Of course while I was making the short ribs I was also sip sipping on the port and it was lovely. Worth checking out.
For a variation of the recipe check out this version from Bon Appetit.
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Oh I am so glad you made them and loved them. They are a new standard in our house
I had to unenroll from that book club because we have NO MORE SPACE for books!
This looks amazing and I love your presentation!! This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Those look amazing! Definitely adding these to the list of things to try!