Bistro Day At Grigal's Palace - Entree: Red Wine Braised Beef Ribs with Balsamic Kale & Silky Yukon Spuds

Long story short, I felt I owed it to myself to enjoy a full evening of tasty, and only somewhat sophisticated food.  This was the perfect ending to not only a cool, fall day but also a perfect ending to a loooong work week.  It's a great little menu if you want to do something nice for someone special too.  I'm special....so I made this for me. 

This was my entree for the evening.  The other courses and their recipes will follow in subsequent blogs making it easier to reference.  As always, the key to a dish like this is to use a wine that you actually enjoy drinking because after it has simmered for 2 hours, that's 90% of your flavor.  I love a dry Merlot so that was my wine of choice for this. 

When making this meal, you'll want to start the potatoes about 45 minutes before the ribs are done and save the last 10 minutes for the kale and asparagus.....or you can do what you want and just ignore me.

Ingredients:

(Ribs)

• 1# Boneless Beef Ribs
• 1/4 Cup, All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Yellow Onion, Sliced
• 1 Large Garlic Clove (or 2 smaller ones), Chopped
• 3/4 Cup Red Wine
• 1 Can, Beef Broth
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• Salt and Pepper

How To Make:

• Pour the flour into a shallow dish or plate.   Season the ribs with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour - shaking off any excess - and set aside.  In a medium saute' pan, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the butter is melted.  Swirl the pan to coat it well and lay the ribs down, leaving a little space between them to cook evenly.  Brown for 4 minutes on each side to sear in the juices and remove to a platter.
• Add the onions and garlic to the pan and stir to incorporate.  Cook, stirring occasionally for about 4-5 minutes until the onions start to turn translucent.  Add the wine. If you're using a stainless steel pan, scrape the bottom to get all the bits of flavor off.  If using non-stick, just add the wine and simmer 3 minutes. 
• Pour the beef broth into the mix and simmer 2 more minutes.  Place the ribs into pan, spoon some of the sauce over them, turn the heat to low, cover and simmer 2 hours.  Serve with (or over) your favorite potatoes or even cooked egg noodles.  I chose my silky Yukon spuds, blanched asparagus and balsamic sauteed kale.

The Full Spread....