comfort food - Southwest braised short ribs

I was lucky enough to spend New Years up at Whistler this year at a friends place.  I do not ski anymore as I really do not enjoy it that much, certainly not enough to pay the big bucks.  On the other hand I have always enjoyed, and continue to enjoy apres ski. So while everyone else is on the slopes I create dinner for everyone and then we are all happy.

Last night was New Years eve and it was a beautiful sunny but cold day, comfort food was called for.  My son and I went shopping in the village (hunting and gathering) to see what looked good. We found some beautifully marbled boneless short ribs.

Nancy has a limited spice draw since everything personal has to be packed away in a small locker, but I knew she had chipotle chili powder, so I decided to make a "southwest" flavoured dish.



2lbs boneless short rib
2 tablespoons olive oil (1 if you are using a non stick pan)
2 garlic cloves sliced
1 onion chopped
1 tablespoon of chipotle chili powder ( Regular would do)
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon coriander
1/2 bottle of Beer
50g crushed tomatoes
Handful of chopped cilantro.

Brown the beef in the olive oil in a large frying pan.

Remove the meat and place into a casserole. Then add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent.  Add the spices and stir in.

Then add the cilantro beer and tomatoes Stir all together and add to the beef.

Cook on low for at least two hours, whilst this is cooking go for a walk in the snow have a hot tub and a glass of wine.

Just before you are ready to serve put on top of the stove and cook on high without a lid until the sauce has thickened.

We had this with roasted beets tossed in balsamic vinegar, potatoes roasted with olive oil and garlic. We also had a salad but more about that tomorrow.

For dessert we had vanilla ice cream with framboise poured over a delicious cool way to finish a rich comforting meal.

Happy New Year and may 2011 be even better than 2010