Braised beef short ribs with creamy polenta

Ingredients

For the stew

• 1kg beef short ribs
• 25ml olive oil 
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 4 fresh bay leaves
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary 
• 500ml red wine 
• 1 litre beef stock 
• 1 x 400g tin tomatoes 
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp French mustard
• 100g mushrooms, sliced and fried till golden 
• 3 cinnamon sticks

For the polenta 

• 200ml milk
• 200ml chicken stock 
• 200g polenta
• 50g butter
• 50g grated parmesan 
• A small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
• A drizzle of good quality truffle oil

Method

Heat a frying pan on high. While it’s coming up to temperature, season the beef ribs. Sear them on all sides then place in a roasting tin. 

Heat the olive oil in the same pan and fry the onion and celery till translucent and starting to colour. Add the bay, thyme and rosemary and cook for another 2-3 mins. Tip the contents of the pan into the roasting tin with the beef.

Heat the pan again, add the red wine and simmer till reduced by half, then pour over the ribs. Mix the stock, tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, mustard and mushrooms and pour over the ribs. Add the cinnamon sticks and cover the roasting tin with baking parchment and then foil. Cook in the oven at 160C for 3-4 hours till very tender.

Remove the bones and cut each piece of short rib into 3. In a pan, reduce the cooking liquor by half until thick and glossy. Remove the cinnamon, rosemary and thyme.

To cook the polenta, heat the milk and stock and when simmering, whisk in the polenta. Cook while stirring for 10-15 mins. Stir through the butter, parmesan, parsley and truffle oil. Season and serve with a piece of beef and a spoonful of the reduced cooking liquor.