Oh how we’ve been busy playing up here in the mountains! So much so that I’m sure you all thought I had forgotten about my blog. Well, I haven’t!!! In fact, I’ve been dreaming up things to cook and share as I’ve been out snowshoeing and snowboarding. I love getting outside and burning up all those calories so that I can come home to a hearty meal that has cooked itself in the slow cooker. A couple of days ago (while out for a little snowshoe frisbee and then as I was falling on my head, butt, and knees trying to regain my balance on my snowboard) this lovely meal was making itself at home:

Guiness Braised Short Ribs with Creamy Goat Cheese-Parmesan Polenta

What I love about this dish is that it only takes about 15 minutes of prep time in the morning, and about another 15-20 minutes when you get home. Here’s what you will need:

For the ribs:

6-8 good quality beef short ribs on the bone

1/2 c. flour

2 tsp. salt and pepper

3-4 Tbsp. olive oil

1 whole head of garlic, separated and peeled

1 large sweet onion, diced fine

1 cup grated carrots

1 large can Guinness or stout beer of your choice

2-3 cups beef stock

1-2 tbsp. corn starch

1/4 c. red wine

For the Polenta :

4 cups water

1 cup polenta

3 Tbsp. butter

1/2 cup goat cheese

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1-2 tsp. salt and pepper

To make the ribs simply:

1) Place flour, salt and pepper on a plate and then coat the ribs. Heat oil in pan and add the short ribs, turning on each side until they are nice and golden brown all over. Don’t skimp on the time to brown the ribs as this is what makes a difference between looking like you stood over the stove for hours braising the meat and that mushy looking stuff that usually comes out of a crock pot!

2) Place diced onion, whole peeled garlic cloves, and grated carrots in bottom of pot then top with the browned ribs. Add the Guinness and beef stock to the pot, adding additional water until they are ALMOST covered (I like to leave a little sticking out so that they stay nice and toasty brown looking on that side). Set the slow cooker to cook on low for 8 hours and get outside to play for a while.

3) When the slow cooker time is up, carefully remove the cooked ribs and place in an ovenproof dish, uncovered, and keep in a 200F degree oven to stay warm. Meanwhile, place the liquid portion from the crock pot into a regular pot and bring to a boil, turning down the heat so that it is at a low boil. Reduce this liquid by half (about 15-20 minutes) then taste for seasoning and adjust by adding additional salt and pepper as necessary.

While the liquid is reducing, to make the polenta:

1) Bring the water to a rolling boil then carefully whisk in the polenta in a slow steady stream to avoid getting any lumps. Turn down the heat to medium and keep whisking while the polenta thickens up. This will take under 5 minutes. Once thickened, prior to it being fully cooked, whisk in the cheeses and butter. Turn off the heat and cover, setting aside until the liquid from the ribs has reduced.

Last step for the ribs:

4) Whisk the cornstarch and the red wine together until smooth, then slowly whisk this into your reduced liquid from the ribs. This adds just a touch of silkiness to the texture of the liquid without turning it into a full-blown gravy.

To serve:

Give the polenta a good whisk again (don’t worry it will still be plenty hot) then mound some in a soup plate or bowl. Place a rib or two on top then carefully ladle a little of that liquid over the top of the rib, being sure to capture some of the veggies with each scoop.

And that’s it!!! Like I said, 15-20 minutes in the morning and that much time again in the evening and you have one heck of a dinner that everyone will be sure you’ve spent all day inside to cook…and we won’t tell them otherwise, will we .

Here’s a peek at what we did while the ribs were cooking:

Hope you get a chance to get outside and play today too!

Love,

Suzie