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01/18/2017 11:01 PMYears ago, when I was a restaurant reviewer, people asked why I didn’t write about the wine. I was pretty young and I had a problem with drinking, which involved a single date with a guy I was really interested in. He took me out to a fraternity party at Union College in Schenectady, then to hear some jazz in Albany. On the way home, evil spirits took the best of me and the inside of his white Plymouth Fury convertible...? Well, he never asked me out again.
Now, does that mean I never drank again? Not really, but I never got drunk again. And I realize that a big part of my food education is lacking. I am quite sure I wouldn’t know a Merlot from a Cabernet, a Shiraz from a Pinot Noir. I guess the best I can say is that I know what wine I should be cooking with, but even here I may be wrong here, too.
While visiting my daughter and her husband in California, I made a risotto to go with my daughter’s grilled Portobello mushrooms. She has a small wine cabinet and I asked her for a dry white for the dish. She opened a bottle of something called Symphony. I didn’t taste it. If you want to ruin a risotto, use a sweet wine. They thought the dish was fine, but it wasn’t.
Home a few days later, listening to a snow warning, I went to the supermarket early to get the fixings for a beef stew. I don’t need a recipe for the dish. When it was time to add wine, I grabbed an open red from the refrigerator. Glug, glug, glug into the pot. I let it reduce a little. In a few hours, the kitchen smelled great and dinner was ready. Unfortunately, the wine was old (maybe a month or more old). I knew better, but I didn’t pay attention. It was okay, but not a whole lot better than okay.
Wine matters. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it should be fresh. Here is how to make something like a beef stew that tastes way better.
Braised Beef Short Ribs with Red Wine Gravy
Adapted from Bon Appetit, October, 2009 (Cover Recipe), page 16
6 pounds 3-inch-thick meaty beef short ribs
¼ cup all-purpose flour
coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup olive oil, divided
3 cups chopped onions
3 cups ¾-inch cubes peeled turnips (about 1 pound)
2 cups chopped peeled carrots (about 8 ounces)
2 cups chopped celery
8 garlic cloves, peeled
4 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, not packed in oil (I found them near produce section at S&S
¼ cup lightly packed fresh thyme sprigs
5 large fresh sage sprigs
5 fresh bay leaves
2 cups dry red wine
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large plastic bag, add flour, salt, and pepper. Add ribs and toss until well covered and remove from bag. Heat ¼ cup of oil in a large wide pot over medium-high heat (if you have a Le Creuset, this is the one to use). Working in batches, cook ribs until brown all over, about 10 minutes per batch. Place ribs onto a plate and wipe out the pot. Add remaining ¼ cup oil, add onions and next four ingredients, and cook until tender and slightly browned, stirring often about 12 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes and next three ingredients; stir to coat. Return ribs to pot, placing on sides to fit in single layer. Add wine. Simmer until slightly reduced, about five minutes. Add broth; cover and bring to a simmer.
Transfer pot to oven and braise until ribs are tender, about two hours. Let stand, covered, at room temperature for 15 minutes. Carefully remove ribs to large bowl, keeping meat attached to bones if you can, although most bones may separate from meat. Remove herb sprigs. Pass all braising liquid and vegetables through a food mill into a large bowl; remove to pot. Put pot into refrigerator to cool, so you can remove the fat. Season gravy with salt and pepper to taste. Rewarm gravy, then return ribs to gravy, cover, and simmer to rewarm.
Do Ahead: This can (and should, if possible) be made a day ahead. If you do, refrigerate uncovered until cool, then cover and keep chilled. Rewarm over medium heat until heated through, stirring gently, for about 15 minutes.