Braised beef short ribs* with Pedro Ximénez and an almond herb crumb

This slow braise is full of flavour and nourishment.  The almond herb topping dresses it up for entertaining; it is delicious with or without it!

Serves 6

Pre-heat the oven to 150°C.  Pat the meat dry with kitchen paper.
Heat a little oil in a heavy based saucepan on medium to high heat and brown the ribs well, transferring them to a stovetop earthenware dish as they brown.  Deglaze the base of the pot with just a little stock, and scrape the bottom of the pot to remove any of the caramelised sediment.
When the pot is clean, pour the stock over the meat. Add enough oil to cover the base of the clean pot and add the chopped onions; braise them for 10 – 15 minutes, stirring, until they are well caramelised but not coloured.  Add the tomato paste, remaining vegetables with the garlic, and cook for another 5 – 10 minutes, add more oil if necessary.  Add thyme, bay leaf and peppercorns, cook over medium heat until golden, stirring, for another 10 – 15 minutes.
Deglaze the pan with the Pedro Ximénez and wine, stirring to loosen any more sediment; pour over the ribs.  Add enough stock to cover the contents and bring to the boil on the stove top, season lightly.  Cover with the lid or foil, and cook in the oven for 2 – 3 hours until the meat is tender.  Remove from the oven and set aside to cool in the stock.
For the herb crumb crust: while the beef ribs are cooking make the herb crumb crust. Pulse the almonds lightly in a food processor, add the cauliflower flowers, and garlic, process together briefly. Heat the butter in a frying pan until foamy, add the ‘crumbs’, toss together and continue to cook until crumbs are golden.  Remove from the heat and add the chopped herbs; season and set aside.
To serve there are two options:
One option is to serve as it is with the herbed crumb topping.
The second option is to carefully remove the ribs from the stock and keep warm. Strain the stock, discarding the vegetables, reserve 300ml – 400ml of liquid for reheating the beef later.  Place the remaining stock in a heavy based saucepan.  Boil, uncovered on high, until reduced to a rich, glossy sauce.
Reheat the ribs in the reserved stock; in a separate pot, reheat the sauce. Place the hot ribs in the centre of the serving plate and spoon generously with sauce and scatter over the almond crumbs.
Serve with cauliflower purée and baby Dutch carrots.
All slow cooked dishes benefit from being cooked one or two days in advance and reheated when needed.  A final dash of fresh herbs always adds an edge to the finished dish.
Braising
Braising takes lots of patience but minimal work is required. Most braised dishes sear the meat, be it ox-tail, beef ribs, beef cheeks, over a high heat first and then simmer the meat for a long time in stock, red wine or sherry, to break down the connective tissue, the collagen, in the meat. This also extracts the maximum flavour from the meat, makes it tender and melt in the mouth delicious.
The hardest part is to wait the 2 – 3 hours before you can eat your dish. However, these braises all benefit from being cooked one or two days in advance and reheated when needed.
A final dash of fresh herbs always adds an edge and colour to the finished dish.
Cauliflower purée
1 head of cauliflower
100ml cream
100ml milk
40g butter
Cut in the cauliflower into florets and place in the steamer; steam until tender.  Transfer the cauliflower to the blender or food processor, add the cream, purée until smooth.  Add a little more cream if necessary and season.  Set aside and keep warm.