"Fusion" Short Ribs

Directions

1. 1
   Pour the wine into a large saucepan set over medium heat. When the wine is hot, carefully set it aflame. The flames could jump quite high, so watch out. Let the flames die out, then increase the heat so that the wine boils; allow it to boil until it cooks down by half. Remove from the heat and reserve.
2. 2
   Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350°F
3. 3
   Warm the oil in a large, heavy, dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the ribs all over with salt and pepper. Place about 1 cup of a/p flour in a large mixing bowl and dredge each of the seasoned short ribs through the flour, knocking off any excess flour before continuing. Then, when the oil is hot, and working in batches, slip the ribs into the pot and sear 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until well-browned. Transfer the ribs to a sheet tray. Repeat with remaining ribs. Remove any burnt flour residue, and all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pot, lower the heat under the pot to medium and toss in the vegetables, spices and herbs. Brown the vegetables lightly, about 10 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste and cook for a few minutes more.
4. 4
   Add the reduced wine, ribs, soy and beef stock to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover tightly and place in the oven to braise for 2 1/2-3 hours or until the ribs are very tender. It's best to make the recipe to this point, then let the ribs cool in the braising medium. Chill in the pan overnight, then scrape off the congealed fat from the top the next day before continuing.
5. 5
   After removing all the fat from the top of the braise, carefully transfer the meat to a platter. Boil the braising medium including all the remaining solids until it the liquid has reduced to about 3-4 cups. Pass the sauce through a fine strainer, pressing on the solids to extract all their goodness, then discard the solids. Season the sauce to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the ribs back to the sauce and heat over a low flame (or covered in a 350 degree oven), basting the ribs frequently, just to heat through. Serve with a potato puree (a sweet potato puree is great too), and a generous slathering of the rich sauce.