Ingredients
* 5 pounds prime beef short ribs
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 tablespoons oil
* 2 medium onions, chopped
* 2 carrots, chopped
* 2 ribs celery, chopped
* 3 tablespoons minced garlic
* 1 cup dry red wine
* 3 cups brown veal stock
* 2 sprigs fresh thyme
* 2 tablespoons tomato paste
* 2 sweet potatoes, julienned and soaked in cool water
* 1 quart vegetable oil, for frying
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley leaves
* Red Beans and Sushi Rice, recipe follows
Directions
Season the short ribs on all sides with the salt and pepper, then dredge in the flour to coat evenly. Set aside as you heat the oil in the Dutch oven.
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and when hot, add the oil. Once the oil is hot add the short ribs, working in batches, and cook until very well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer the meat to a bowl or platter and set aside. Add the onions, carrots and celery to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Deglaze the pot with the red wine and cook until reduced slightly, about 1 minute. Add the veal stock, fresh thyme, tomato paste and reserved short ribs and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so that the liquid just simmers and cover the pot. Simmer for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender but not yet falling apart. The bones should come out of the meat easily at this point – remove them and discard. Continue to cook the beef until the meat is fork-tender and the braising liquid is thickened and reduced, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat vegetable oil in a Dutch oven to 360 degrees F, and fry the sweet potatoes in batches until golden brown; about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on a paper lined plate and season with salt.
To serve, place the sushi rice in the bottom of a large bowl topped with the red bean, beef short ribs, fried sweet potatoes, and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro or parsley.
Red Beans and Sushi Rice:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper
1/4 cup finely diced celery
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 ham hock
5 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 cup red beans, soaked overnight in 3 cups cold water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups sushi rice
3 cups water
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Set a 2-quart saucepan over a medium high heat, and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, about 30 seconds, add the onions, bell peppers and celery. Sweat the vegetables stirring often until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ham hock to the pan and continue to stir while sweating the vegetables for 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bay leaf to the pan and cook for 1 hour. After an hour, add the red beans to the pan and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 1 1/2 hours. After 11/2 hours, the beans should be slightly tender, at this point, remove the ham hock from the pan and allow to cool slightly before removing the meat from the bone. Discard the ham hock bones and return the meat as well as 1/2 teaspoon of the salt to the pan with the red beans. Cook the beans for an additional 30 to 45 minutes, or until the beans are tender and the stock has reduced to make a sauce-like consistency with the red beans. Remove the bay leaf from the red beans.
To make the rice, rinse the rice grains in a fine mesh strainer under running cold water. Place the rice in a 1-quart saucepan and add the water. Place the pan over a medium high heat, and when the water begins to boil, reduce the heat to low and place a lid on the saucepan. Cook the rice for 20 minutes and remove from the heat. Allow the rice to steam for 5 minutes before removing the lid and stirring the sesame oil and cilantro into the rice. Serve immediately.
