Oven Braised Short RIbs

This extra special recipe is going out to an extra special pair of cousins of mine who are having an anniversary today! Happy anniversary, Angie and Lewis! May you have many, many more. And may you spend some of them hanging out with ME!

First things first! Dice a couple of carrots and your onion. Set aside. Salt and pepper the ribs, dredge in flour, and set aside. Pour out your wine and stock so that they're ready to go when you need them. Slice your pancetta.

NOW--in a dutch oven, cook the pancetta over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until most of the fat has been rendered. Confession: I love pancetta, and I may or may not have swiped a couple pieces out of the pot as soon as they were crispy enough to eat. Yum. Once all the fat has been rendered (and it might not be very much, as pancetta seems to have less fat than bacon), remove to a plate and set aside.

Add two tablespoons of olive oil to the pot, and brown the ribs on all sides, about 30 seconds each side. Remove, and set aside. (This is about the point I set off the smoke detector, freaked out my cat, and alarmed my husband--be careful, use your exhaust vent, and try not to burn your house down!)

Dump in the carrots and onions, and cook for about two minutes, until soft.

Pour in the wine and use a whisk to scrape all the yummy brown bits off the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil and cook two minutes.

Add in the broth, season with salt and pepper, and submerge your sprigs of thyme and rosemary. Put the ribs and the pancetta back in the pot, put the lid on, and stick in a 350F oven for two hours. After two hours, turn the heat down to 325F and cook for another half hour. Skim the fat off the top, serve, and enjoy! I was planning to have potatoes with this, but I forgot that I'd bought corn on Sunday, and it needed to be eaten before it decided to go bad.

And oh man, how delicious this was. Seriously. Soak it up.