cooking.nytimes.com

Prune and Almond Braised Short Ribs

5.0(319)

When the chef Tony Maws’s grandparents died, he decided to start having Passover Seder at his restaurant, Craigie on Main in Cambridge, Mass. This short rib recipe, brought to The Times in 2011, was among the dishes he served, both to his family (on the first night) and his diners (on the second and third nights). It’s a Sephardic take on his grandmother’s tsimmes and brisket, prepared a day in advance and refrigerated to let the flavors meld and the fat float to the top to be skimmed. Serve it as part of a Seder, or for just about any special occasion. It is sure to impress.

by Joan Nathan

Open original recipe

Dinner, Main Course

Servings

(6–8)

Total time

3h 15m

Calories / serving

2096 kcal

Ingredients (22)

serves

7 pounds beef short ribs or 5 pounds flanken, cut in 4-inch portions
Saltsalt
Black pepperpepper
1/4 cup rendered duck fat or chicken fat, or canola oil
1 large Spanish onion, dicedonion
3 large carrots, peeled and dicedcarrot
2 celery stalks, dicedcelery
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashedgarlic
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and smashedginger
2 cups ruby port
2 cups red winered-wine
4 cups pitted prunes
1 1/4 cup slivered almonds, lightly toastedslivered-almonds
4 ounces shiitake, crimini or other mushrooms, diced
1/2 cup loosely packed chopped parsleyparsley
4 fresh thyme sprigsthyme
1 bay leafbay-leaf
1 cinnamon stickcinnamon
1 clove
1 star anisestar-anise
Zest of 1 orange, in stripsorange
4 cups veal, beef or chicken stock, or as needed

Instructions (4 steps)

01Heat oven to 325 degrees. Season short ribs or flanken with salt and pepper. Place a heavy wide pan over medium-high heat. Add the fat or oil and heat until shimmering. Add beef and brown well on both sides. Transfer to a plate.
02Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic and ginger to the pan, and stir until the onions begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Add port and wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer until reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
03In a large Dutch oven or heavy braising pan, combine 2 cups of the prunes, 1 cup almonds, and the mushrooms. In a piece of cheesecloth, tie up 1/4 cup of the parsley with the thyme, bay leaf, cinnamon, clove, star anise and orange zest, and add to the pot. Add the meat, the vegetable mixture and enough stock to cover. Place over high heat to bring to a boil, then transfer to the oven. Cook, covered, until the meat is falling off the bones, about 2 1/2 hours. Cool completely in the pan, then refrigerate overnight or until well chilled.
04Skim the fat, then transfer beef to a large bowl, discarding any loose bones. Discard the cheesecloth packet, and transfer remaining broth and vegetables to a food processor. Purée, then return to a clean pan. Add meat and remaining 2 cups whole prunes. Place over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until gently reheated. Garnish with remaining 1/4 cup parsley and 1/4 cup almonds.

Pantry check

Data quality

servings.value✓

times.totalMinutes✓

nutrition.calories✓

recipeCuisine—

recipeCategory✓

rating✓

description✓

image (URL only)✓

Rich recipe — supports nutrition-aware planning.