When I told you guys that my Matzah Ball Pot Pie was the best thing I ever made, I lied. Well not lied, per say. I just hadn’t make this recipe yet. Now this is the best thing I’ve ever made. Fall off the bone beef ribs smothered in a red wine sauce. But not just any red wine, the nektar of the Bar Mitzvah Gods- Manischewitz! I was slightly concerned about braising with Manischewitz. If you are wondering why, I am going to assume you haven’t tasted it. I mean there is a reason it is the boozy beverage of choice amongst the coming of age Bar Mitzvah crowd**. Manischewitz pretty much tastes like alcoholic candy! But with the balance of some beef broth, tomato paste and lots of herbs, the sweet wine is transformed into the tastiest sauce in the entire Jewniverse- or at least this side of the Mississippi. And I live in Texas, so that says a lot. Plus is this not perfect for Hanukkah? Just swap out the mashed potatoes for a latke. Holy Jewish Jesus that would be delicious. Here is all Jew need:
Let’s get started! First, pour yourself a big glass o Manischewitz and pretend it’s 1996 again. Oh yeah.
Hard part’s done- the rest is smooth sailing. Now, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and dredge your meat in a mixture of flour, salt and pepper.
Now heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown meat on all sides. This should take about 10 minutes total.
Oh yeah. Now remove the meat and drain the majority of the fat if there is any (leave a little). The meat should be nice and brown. Add in the carrots and onion and cook until brown and soft, about 7 minutes.
Lower the heat to medium and add the garlic. Continue to cook for one minute. Then add tomato paste, bring heat back up to medium high and continue to cook until the sauce is slightly brown, about 5 minutes.
Make sure to scrape up all the tasty brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Then add the wine and bring to a boil and reduce by half.
Wheee! Then add the meat back in and top with enough broth so the meat is almost covered, like so:
Also add in the herbs and cinnamon. Bring the whole mixture to a boil, cover, and bake in the oven for two hours until the meat is very tender but not falling apart yet.
Trust me, it smelled as good as it looked. At this point, you can cool the meat in the sauce and serve it the next day (it’s even better the next day!) or if you couldn’t possible wait another moment to dive head first into a plate of ribs, wait at least 30 minutes with the pot covered. Remove the meat, skim the fat and strain the sauce. Save/eat the little carrots- they are delicious!
If you are straining the sauce the next day, make sure to skim any fat off the top first. Now, to make our gremolata you need one of these:
Get your mind out of the gutter, boy! That’s horseradish. No, it doesn’t grow in jars. I know, I was shocked too. Gremolata is normally a garnish made from garlic, parsley and lemon zest, but I switched out the garlic for horseradish because Jews LOVE horseradish! Oh boy do I! Grate your horseradish by removing the skin first and grating just like you would a potato. Then combine with parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil and salt.
That’s it! I served my rib on top of sautéed spinach on top of mashed potatoes drizzled with the sauce and garnished with the horseradish gremolata. Jew do what Jew like!
Manischewitz Braised Short Ribs with Horseradish Gremolata
Ingredients
- For short ribs:
- 4 beef short ribs
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons oil olive, canola or grapeseed will work
- 2 carrots peeled and sliced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 12 ounce can tomato paste
- 2 cups Concord Grape Manischewitz wine
- 2-3 cups beef broth
- 2 sprigs sage
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 4 sprigs rosemary
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- For horseradish gremolata:
- 1/4 cup fresh horseradish shredded
- 1/2 cup parsley minced
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Dredge your meat in a mixture of flour, salt and pepper.
- Now heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown meat on all sides. This should take about 10 minutes total.
- Now remove the meat and drain the majority of the fat if there is any (leave a little). The meat should be nice and brown. Then add in the carrots and onion and cook until brown and soft, about 7 minutes.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the garlic. Continue to cook for one minute. Then add tomato paste and increase heat back up to medium-high and continue to cook until the sauce is slightly brown, about 5 minutes.
- Make sure to scrape up all the tasty brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Then add the wine and bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half.
- Add the meat back in and top with enough broth so the meat is almost covered.
- Also add in the herbs and cinnamon. Bring the whole mixture to a boil, cover, and bake in the oven for two hours until the meat is very tender but not falling apart yet.
- At this point, you can cool the meat in the sauce and serve it the next day (it’s even better the next day!) or if you couldn’t possible wait another moment to dive head first into a plate of ribs, wait at least 30 minutes with the pot covered. Remove the meat, skim any fat and strain the sauce. Save/eat the little carrots- they are delicious!
- To make the gremolata, grate your horseradish by removing the skin first and grating just like you would a potato. Then combine with parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil and salt.
- I served my rib on top of sautéed spinach on top of mashed potatoes drizzled with the sauce and garnished with the horseradish gremolata. Jew do what Jew like!
**WJWE does not condone underage drinking.
Love your presentation. Most beautiful and elegant.
Thanks, Vindaloo!
These are so easy and tasty that I’m putting them on my menu plan at least once every two weeks. I can leave these on the blech for Shabbat and serve them up right after schul! I don’t strain the sauce. I just plop it on top of my garlic smashed potatoes. Thanks Amy!
Thanks, Sophi! I’m so glad you like it! It is one of my favorite recipes too.
I have very small kitchen and no windows in it and really no room to work outside. Would it be terrible if I just used bottled or jarred horseradish instead of fresh?
If not, how much should I use?
Prepared horseradish in a jar will totally work! I like fresh, but either way the contrast of sharp horseradish to the sweet short ribs is awesome. Let me know how it goes! Just make sure to drain the horseradish a bit.
When serving the next day, how do you recommend reheating?
On the stovetop over low heat or covered in a low (200 degree) oven.
Would it be possible to make this with another cut of meat, like brisket? I have a large crowd coming for a Hanukkah party.
Sorry for the delay- any braising meat should work.
I made this for Hannukah last night and you’re right, 2nd day leftovers way better than the night it’s made! I added a little bit of brown sugar the second day to the sauce because I used regular red wine instead of the sweeter Manischewitz, and a drizzle of soy sauce to bring more umami to the front, and finally, a sprinkle of fresh pomegranate seeds on the plate. Terrific!!! Will be making this every year. Thank you!
Sounds amazing! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
I really like this recipe and have made it a number of times, using my crockpot once the ribs are browned and vegetables cooked. My only question is that the recipe calls for a 12 oz can of tomato paste. I can only find 6 oz. cans. Do I need to use two 6 oz. cans or where do they sell 12 o. cans. My ribs are great with just 6 oz. f tomato paste.
You can use two 12 oz cans or 6 oz would work too! Up to you!