Braised Short Ribs

Amounts and times written inside the steps are for the original quantity.

1. 01
   Heat the oven to 400°F. Season the ribs generously with salt and white pepper. Put them on a baking sheet, pop it into the oven, and roast until the ribs have begun to brown and shrink away from the bones, about 45 minutes. Remove the meat to a platter to rest. Turn the oven down to 300°F.
2. 02
   While the beef is browning, heat the oil in your widest skillet or saute pan over high heat for 1 minute, then add the onion, carrot, celery, and fennel and turn the heat down to medium-high. Add a large pinch of salt and saute until the mass of vegetables has shrunken and begun to take on a golden caramel color, browning in spots, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3. 03
   Put the roasted ribs in a 6- or 8-quart heavy bottomed ovenproof pot (a Dutch oven works great). Add the cooked vegetables, rosemary, red wine, and enough veal stock to almost but not quite cover the meat. Cover the pot and pop it into the oven. Braise for 2 to 2½ hours, at which point the bones should slide easily out of the meat.
4. 04
   Remove the meat from the pot, then strain the cooking liquid into a container (or two), pressing slightly hard on the vegetables in the strainer to wring out any flavor left in them. Discard the vegetables. Cool broth to room temperature, and put in the fridge. (The meat and the broth can be held in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.)
5. 05
   When ready to serve, coat the serving vegetables with a film of olive oil and season with salt and white pepper, as you would in making any roasted vegetables. Cook them for 20 minutes.
6. 06
   While the vegetables are roasting, remove the hardened cap of tallow-colored fat from the top of the braising liquid, discard it, and then put the liquid in a wide, deep pan and warm it over medium heat. Taste it. If it's thin, boil it down to concentrate it. Does it need salt? Add it. Perfect? Pour yourself a glass of wine and get back to work.
7. 07
   Trim the short ribs of any obvious gristle and cut them into individual portions.
8. 08
   Add the roasted vegetables to the warmed braising liquid and simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the meat. (You can hold the braise for up to a couple of hours at a very low temperature or serve as soon as the meat is warmed through.)
9. 09
   Serve the ribs in shallow bowls, with a mix of vegetables and some of the braising liquid.

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