what i made for dinner :: cabernet-braised beef short ribs

i'm a sucker for a piece of good fatty meat (where do you think i got that layer of fat around my belly from?). meat benefits from some fat, flavor-wise and texture-wise ... don't you think? if you agree, then the next recipe might be for you :: cabernet-braised beef short ribs (from the march 2008 issue of cooking light).

although the recipe is simple you do need about four hours to prepare (active time is only about half an hour, at most). i didn't use cabernet since i had an open bottle of pinot noir but it worked out fine. rupert was my assistant for step 4; with his help i didn't make much of a mess and we managed to limit the amount of fat that went into the sauce.

because you discard the vegetables that cook with the meat, i made a side-dish of broccoflower "steak," a simplified version of this cauliflower steak recipe. super yummy. i guess you could braise or roast some extra carrots, celery, and onion and pour the sauce over them.

the israeli couscous turned out better this time, i think because i used a richer chicken stock (which i made yesterday) instead of the usual packaged chicken stock from TJ's. it also went really well with the meat and sauce. i definitely recommend making accompaniments that are not heavily seasoned and can take on the flavor of the short ribs.