“Sticky and delicious, this is food you can eat with your hands – finger bowls all round. The meat can be braised ahead of time, and it’s best left overnight as it’s easier to handle if it’s had time to cool down.” You’ll need to begin this recipe a day ahead.
Ingredients
Method
Main
1.Preheat oven to 150C. Heat olive oil in a very large saucepan over medium heat, add onion, garlic and half the fennel seeds, season to taste and sauté until starting to soften (3-4 minutes), add herbs and cook until onions are soft (8-10 minutes). Deglaze pan with wine and reduce liquid by half (20-30 minutes), then add tomato and stock and bring to the boil.
2.Season ribs to taste and lay them snugly in a roasting pan. Add tomato stock (ribs need to be completely covered, so add a little water if necessary), cover and roast until meat starts to fall from the bone (2-3 hours). If liquid evaporates, add extra water. Set aside to cool, then refrigerate in braising stock overnight.
3.Dry-roast remaining fennel seeds (1-2 minutes), set aside.
4.Remove meat from braising stock and set aside. Strain braising stock through a fine sieve and reserve 1 litre. Remaining stock will keep frozen for 3 months.
5.Cook anchovies and a little of their oil in a shallow saucepan over very low heat, add reserved braising stock, sugar and roasted fennel seeds and cook until liquid is reduced by half and is rich, slightly sticky and a little sweet (20-25 minutes), then add lemon juice.
6.Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick frying pan over low-medium heat, add short ribs and turn occasionally until browned (10 minutes each side). Transfer to braising stock and simmer over low-medium heat until stock is reduced to a thick sauce consistency (10-20 minutes). Serve ribs on a platter topped with braising stock.
This recipe is from the November 2010 issue of .
Drink Suggestion: A broadly structured red varietal such as aglianico. Drink suggestion by Giorgio de Maria
Notes
