Mario Batali | The Babbo Cookbook | Clarkson Potter, 2002 | Serves 4
We use beef short ribs for this braised dish, and it works out great. You could just as easily use brisket or blade, but I prefer the richness of the short ribs. Have your butcher cut between and along the length of the bone. The most important step here is the initial browning of the short ribs; don’t skimp or the final braise will not be as intensely flavored or colored.–Mario Batali
Active time: 1 hour | Total time: 2 hours, 45 minutes.
Braised Short Ribs with Horseradish Gremolata and Pumpkin Orzo Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Four 16-ounce beef short ribs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 onion, roughly chopped
- 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 cups Barolo or other full-bodied red wine
- One 16-ounce can peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand, with their juices
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1/2 bunch of thyme
- 1/2 bunch of rosemary
- 1/2 bunch of oregano
- 1/2 pound pumpkin or butternut squash, seeded and peeled
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup orzo
- 1 cup chicken stock
- Leaves from 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley
- Zest of 2 lemons, cut into julienne strips
- 1/4 pound fresh horseradish, grated
Directions
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1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over high heat until smoking. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper and cook them over high heat until deep brown on all sides, about 15 minutes total.
3. Remove the short ribs to a plate and set aside. Add the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic to the pan and cook over high heat until browned and softened, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the red wine, tomatoes and juices, beef stock, and herbs, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge browned bits.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil and return the short ribs to the pan. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Cook for 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender and literally falling off the bones. This can be done a day ahead.
5. Cut the pumpkin or squash into 3 or 4 evenly sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with the olive oil, and wrap in foil. Roast in the 375°F (190°C) oven for 30 to 45 minutes, or until very soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then place the cooked squash in the bowl of a food processor. Add the honey, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper and pulse to form a relatively smooth purée. Set aside.
6. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Set up an ice bath nearby. Cook the orzo in the boiling water for 3 minutes, to blanch but not cook through. Drain the orzo and plunge it into the ice bath. Once cooled, drain it and lay it out on a baking sheet to dry.
7. Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a 12-inch saute pan. Add the orzo and squash purée and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until the chicken stock is fully absorbed by the orzo. Season with salt and pepper.
8. In a small bowl, combine the parsley, lemon zest, and horseradish and toss loosely by hand.
9. Divide the pumpkin orzo evenly among four warmed bowls. Place one short rib in each bowl, top with a little of the pan juices and a handful of the gremolata, and serve immediately.
- Southwestern Short Ribs from Healthy Delicious
- Beer-Braised Beef with Onions from The Pioneer Woman
- Rib Roast with Red-Wine Pan Sauce from Leite’s Culinaria
- Prime Rib Roast with Orange-Glazed Onions from Leite’s Culinaria
Braised short ribs with pumpkin orzo recipe © 2002 Mario Batali. Photo © 2002 Christopher Hirsheimer. All rights reserved.
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[Amy Godwin] This braised short rib recipe was very easy to follow and yielded great results. The gremolata was a very nice accent to the dish. It was amazing that such a garnish could result in such a nice overall flavor. The pumpkin orzo, on the other hand, was a nice accompaniment but was very time-consuming to cook. It took three different pans. I make risotto frequently and would have been happy with that as my filler. I assume I could make the orzo in a similar manner and yield good results.
[Anonymous] Braised short ribs: The short ribs were beautiful. The meat fell off the bone, as promised, and the sauce was wonderful for a crisp autumn evening.
Gremolata: I was a bit disappointed by this. I love horseradish, but all I was able to taste was the parsley. I don’t know how to solve this, maybe add salt or lemon juice? I’ll experiment next time. I also ended up with way more of the gremolata than I needed. The amount of the gremolata could have been used on twice as many servings.
Orzo: This is a great recipe. I love unique side dishes like this, which can serve as a bed for a piece of meat or fish. It’s particularly wonderful this time of year. My orzo got a little overcooked, because I was doing other things. I would have liked it if there was a time estimate in the recipe of how long it would take the orzo to absorb the chicken stock.
Overall I give this recipe my highest recommendation. The long cooking time for the meat gives you a chance to prepare everything else. The final result is beautiful and satisfying.
These braised short ribs are a great dish. I loved it. We made it the day before, because we wanted to give the flavors time to meld.
Two tips: 1. I put the herbs in a small cheesecloth satchel so I didn’t have to fish out woody stems. 2. After letting the dish cool, I refrigerated it overnight. The next morning, I skimmed of the fat that had congealed on top. It made the final dish much more appetizing.
The grated horseradish overpowers the gremolata. I found that by using 1/2 a bunch of Italian parsley and 2 tbsp of the horseradish, and finely mincing the mixture, it works better.
Rich…A layered taste of textures. Pumpkin Orso was particularly delicious. I substituted a Barbaresco for the Barolo, as I was able to buy a half bottle of it at the wine store instead of a $40 bottle of Barolo. The meal did take quite a long time to prepare so next time I will probably braise the beef shortribs earlier.
I have never used gremolata before and truthfully do not know what it is…perhaps you can explain…but it was delicious as the combination of lemon/fresh horseradish/parsley seemed to melt over the meat and create a wonderful new layer of taste to the meal. Thanks! Maggie
Maggie, a few things.
First, Mario Batali doesn’t use $40 of Barolo for this dish. It was discovered he uses a simple, good cheap bottle of red wine.
Two, traditionally, gremolata is a chopped mix of herbs and garlic that gives a lift in flavor to heavier, oftentimes, fatty dishes.