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Braised bone-in beef short ribs on creamy polenta with glossy Italian red wine sauce in a white ceramic bowl

Red Wine Pairing for Italian Comfort Foods: A Practical Guide with Braised Short Ribs

Bone-in beef short ribs braised in Italian red wine with soffritto, herbs, and a reduced pan sauce. A practical demonstration of how tannin and acidity balance rich, fatty Italian comfort food.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 620
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the short ribs
  • 1.6 kg (4 pieces) bone-in beef short ribs about 400 g each
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil (grapeseed or sunflower) for searing
Soffritto and aromatics
  • 1 large (about 180 g) white onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 medium (about 150 g) carrot, roughly chopped
  • 2 stalks (about 100 g) celery stalks, roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic cloves, smashed
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 2 bay leaves
Braising liquid
  • 500 ml Italian red wine (Barbera, Chianti Classico, or Rosso di Montalcino) about two-thirds of a standard bottle
  • 400 g (1 can) canned whole San Marzano tomatoes, hand-crushed
  • 400 ml low-sodium beef stock
To finish
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil stirred in at the end for gloss
  • to taste salt

Method
 

Prepare and sear
  1. Heat the oven to 160 C / 320 F.
  2. Pat the short ribs dry with paper towels, then season all sides with salt and black pepper.
  3. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until smoking. Add the oil, then sear the short ribs in two batches, about 3 minutes per side, until a deep brown crust forms. Transfer to a plate.
Build the soffritto
  1. In the same skillet over medium heat, add a splash more oil if needed, then add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and pale gold.
  2. Add the garlic and tomato paste. Stir and cook for 2 minutes until the paste darkens slightly and smells toasty.
  3. Pour in the red wine and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom. Let it bubble for 3 minutes.
Braise
  1. Transfer the soffritto and wine mixture to a 5-quart Dutch oven. Add the hand-crushed tomatoes, beef stock, rosemary sprig, and bay leaves. Stir to combine.
  2. Nestle the seared short ribs into the liquid. The liquid should come about halfway up the ribs. Add a splash more stock if needed.
  3. Bring to a gentle simmer on the stovetop, then cover and transfer to the oven. Braise for 3 hours, turning the ribs once at the halfway mark, until the meat is pull-tender and the bone slides out easily.
Finish the sauce
  1. Carefully lift the short ribs out of the braising liquid and set aside on a warm plate. Remove and discard the rosemary sprig and bay leaves.
  2. Pour the braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the solids. Discard the solids.
  3. Return the strained liquid to the Dutch oven and bring to a brisk simmer over medium heat. Reduce by about half, 10 to 15 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon. Skim any fat from the surface.
  4. Stir in the extra virgin olive oil, then season with salt. Return the short ribs to the sauce and let them rest in it for 10 minutes off the heat before plating.

Notes

For a cleaner sauce, chill the strained braising liquid overnight and lift off the solidified fat before reducing. The flavor concentration is noticeably better.