Even after recently having wrapped up an Instant Pot/multicooker recipe series, I still couldn’t stop Instant Potting. This polenta recipe I had come across kept coming to mind. And wanting something that went well with polenta, led me to also test a slow-cooker red-wine-braised short ribs recipe last week. They married well together.
It was nice that the dishes weren’t too labor-intensive, either. While the short ribs took some prepping at the start of the recipe, they could then cook all day. And half an hour before serving, just throw the ingredients for the polenta into the Instant Pot and the timing is perfect for serving a piping hot meal.
This combination works great for a fancy meal and is now on the shortlist for when we can have people over again and want to make a four-star fancy dinner for guests without running around the kitchen trying to time everything just right.
SLOW COOKER RED WINE-BRAISED SHORT RIBS
This recipe adapted from thekitchn.com may be the only short rib recipe you’ll ever need for a set-it-and-forget-it fancy entree. The labor comes at the beginning when you’re prepping all the ingredients, browning the meat and sauteing the vegetables, and building the sauce. Then just put the ingredients in the slow cooker and let it do its magic, resulting in fall-off-the-bone ribs. I like to serve it on top of polenta for a four-star meal at home.
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 8 hours to 10 hours
Serves 4
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 medium stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 to 3 1/4 pounds bone-in English-style beef short ribs
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cups dry red wine
Pat 3 to 3 1/4 pounds short ribs dry. Season all over with 2 teaspoons of the kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large, high-sided frying pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half of the short ribs and sear on three sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Transfer with tongs to a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. If needed, add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and repeat with the remaining short ribs. Transfer with tongs to the slow cooker. The short ribs will not be cooked through. Add 1 cup low-sodium beef broth, 4 fresh sprigs thyme, and 2 bay leaves to the slow cooker.
In the high-sided frying pan or Dutch oven, add the onions, carrots, and celery. Season with the remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and 2 tablespoons tomato paste, stir to coat the vegetables and cook until darkened in color, about 2 minutes. Pour in 3 cups dry red wine and stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
Pour the hot liquid and vegetables into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low until the meat is tender and pulls away from the bone, 8 to 10 hours.
Transfer the short ribs to a large plate with tongs. Some of the short ribs may separate from the bone. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a large glass measuring cup or bowl and discard the cooked vegetables, bay leaves, thyme sprigs and any loose bones. Serve the short ribs with sauce spooned over top.
SHORT RIBS RECIPE NOTES
Make ahead: The short ribs can be cooked up to 1 day in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator with the sauce. Scrape off the fat and reheat on the stovetop to serve.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
CREAMY POLENTA
This savory polenta dish from the “I Love My Instant Pot®” 5-Ingredient Recipe Book” by Michelle Fagone (Simon & Schuster, Inc., $16.99) couldn’t be easier. As the title of the cookbook suggests, there are not that many ingredients so it’s a no mess, no fuss recipe — all while seeming like you put in a lot of time than you did in making the usually more labor-intensive dish.
Pantry Staples: salt, ground black pepper
Hands-On Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves 6
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup coarse ground yellow polenta
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1. Add water, milk, polenta, salt and pepper to the Instant Pot® and stir. Lock lid.
2. Press the Manual or Pressure Cook button and adjust time to 10 minutes. When the timer beeps, quick-release pressure until float valve drops. Unlock lid.
3. Whisk butter and cheese into polenta in pot up to 5 minutes until it thickens.
4. Transfer polenta to a serving dish. Serve warm.
PER SERVING:
Calories 149; Fat 6g; Protein 4g; Sodium 487mg; Fiber 2g; Carbohydrates 18g | NET Net Carbs 16g; Sugar 2g
Used with permission of the publisher, Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.
NOTE: POLENTA, GRITS, AND CORNMEAL—ARE THEY DIFFERENT?
All three of these products are made from ground corn. Cornmeal is the finest version of the three. Grits are ground down from white corn, otherwise known as hominy. Polenta has a little coarser grind than grits and is made from yellow corn. Know these distinctions when purchasing the products, because sometimes polenta is labeled as “coarse ground cornmeal.”