Estofado De Catalan (Stewed Spanish Short Ribs)

To make the short ribs, preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Generously salt and pepper the ribs. In a large casserole pan, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil over high heat. Add the ribs and brown on all sides until golden, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the ribs and set aside.

Saute carrots, celery, onion and garlic in the same pan until well caramelized, about 10-15 minutes. Add red wine and cook over high heat until the red wine is reduced by half. Stir in tomato paste, tomatoes and thyme. Add browned ribs and beef stock. Bring to a boil, cover and bake for approximately 3 hours, or until meat pulls easily away from the bone.

A long, slow braise is the key here. Cooking at too high of a temperature will result in a flavorless, tough, stringy meat. It tastes even better if it's made the day before. No rushing necessary!

To make the sauce, remove the meat from the pan and set aside. Strain the remaining sauce through a colander, and then through a fine mesh strainer, into a large casserole pan. Add the sherry and reduce the sauce by half.

Stir in the chocolate, thyme, marjoram, orange zest and butter. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Return the ribs to the pan an simmer until heated through, approximately 2 minutes.

To make the gremolata, mix together parsley and orange zest in a small bowl.

To serve, mound 1/2 cup of starch of your choice, such as mashed potatoes in the center of warm shallow bowls. Put 2-3 short ribs on top of the mashed potatoes. Spoon the sauce over the short ribs, and sprinkle with the gremolata.