Braised Short Ribs over Turnip Puree ~ this is a richly satisfying meal that can be done on the stove, in the oven, or in a slow cooker.
What I learned: when you brown a bone-in meat and then braise it in red wine and beef stock for a long time over a very low heat, and then reduce the sauce, it becomes something pretty awesome.
Braising sounds so much better than pot roasting, but that’s basically what it is. You can do it in a low oven or on the stove ~ even in the slow cooker if you like. A good heavy pot helps. It takes a while, but not all day; 3 hours should do it, and you can walk away, no stirring or tending involved.
Usually you see this dish served over pasta, or polenta. I thought it would be a nice to lighten it up and serve it over a root vegetable puree.
The mashed turnips are really nice underneath the rich sauce. I think they’re my favorite root vegetable. They don’t have the sweetness of carrots and parsnips; they have a slightly bitter ‘just out of the field’ taste, and I don’t think the mad food scientists have found it worth their while to tinker with them. They’re still the same homely veg our great great grandmothers knew.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs short ribs
- salt and fresh cracked pepper
- flour (leave out for gluten free/paleo)
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 large or 3 medium shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 14 oz can beef broth
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- several sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 medium to large turnips, peeled and cut in large chunks
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- enough chicken stock or milk to thin the puree
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Sprinkle the ribs with salt and pepper on all sides, then dredge in flour, shaking off the excess.
- Heat the oil in a large heavy pot on medium high heat and brown the ribs on all sides. You should hear a loud sizzle when they hit the pan. Remove the ribs to a plate.
- Lower the heat and add the vegetables to the pan and saute for a couple of minutes until they begin to soften.
- Add the red wine and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan to get any brown bits. Reduce the wine for a couple of minutes. Then add the broth, paste, and herbs. Bring back to a boil.
- Nestle the ribs into the stock. They should be almost covered with liquid, if not, add a little water. Reduce the heat, cover, and let the ribs braise for about 3 hours until the meat falls off the bone. You can do this on the stove, or in a 325 degree oven.
- Now you need to get rid of the excess fat. The easiest way to do this is to refrigerate the pot for a couple of hours, or even overnight, and then peel off the hardened fat. This gives the sauce time to develop its flavor as well. You can also let the sauce rest for about half an hour and then skim the fat off with a large flat spoon if you can't wait, but you will have a fattier sauce.
- Remove the meat to a platter. Carefully remove the bones and shred the meat, keep warm. Pick out the bay leaves and stems from the sauce, and boil it for several minutes to reduce it down. Don't skip this step. Check the seasoning.
- Spoon some Turnip Puree on each plate or bowl, and top with some of the meat. Then ladle the hot sauce down over the meat and puree. Garnish with chopped parsley.
- To make the turnip puree: cover the turnips with cold water in a saucepan and boil gently until they can be easily pierced with a sharp knife. Drain.
- Put the turnips, butter and stock or milk in a food processor and process till creamy. Add sat and pepper to taste,
Notes
This recipe is slightly adapted from Ree, The Pioneer Woman

12 Comments
Alisa Rhinehart
October 16, 2013 at 5:30 amThis looks awesome! I will have to try this! I love turnips too! Thanks so much!
patricia robbins
August 21, 2013 at 3:48 amI can’t wait to make!!!! Looks so good!!!!
Sue
August 21, 2013 at 8:27 amI have become a huge fan of short ribs, I think they’ve surpassed pot roast as my favorite comfort food dinner — hope you like them as much as I did, Patricia!
Anonymous
December 22, 2012 at 8:31 amthanks for sharing.
Mary
November 8, 2012 at 4:26 amThis sounds like an excellent fall meal! I tried short ribs for the first time last year and I completely misjudged the time involved. I overcooked them so severely you wouldn’t believe it. I was guilty of leaving the almost-trashed dutch oven on my back porch for a couple of days before begging my husband to deal with the mess for me. I haven’t tried them since. Now, I’m thinking it’s time to try them again. Yours sound delicious!
belleau kitchen
November 7, 2012 at 8:27 amOh me too. Never made them but you know what? Am gonna now! Stunning dish. Love the turnips too. Not everyone’s idea of favourite but I love em and can taste them now with all these dark gravy juices!! Oh man!
SavoringTime in the Kitchen
November 7, 2012 at 3:15 pmThis looks like the perfect fall meal to me! My son-in-law, who is a chef, has made short ribs over celery root puree for us and it was amazing too.
Magnolia Verandah
November 7, 2012 at 2:15 amOh yes braised ribs like this in red wine – lots of lip smacking and murmering goes on when these are being cooked in my house. In fact any meat on the bone could be cooked like this. You have reminded me that I have some osso bucco in the freezer that I need to cook before the weather gets too warm and this would be the perfect recipe for them.
Barbara
November 7, 2012 at 2:38 amSue, this looks marvelous. Love the idea of a turnip purée too.
Amy
November 6, 2012 at 7:43 pmWow this looks great, Sue. I never have paid much attention to short ribs (or turnips for that matter), but this looks so good. And the fact that you said it’s one of the best meals you’ve made holds a lot of weight! I hope I get the chance to make this sometime.
Tricia @ saving room for dessert
November 6, 2012 at 5:33 pmI completely agree – the sauce becomes amazing! I made braised short ribs recently but didn’t get a descent photo to post! We had unexpected guests that day and the meal was over before I realized! It was so delicious and yours looks truly wonderful.
Hungry Dog
November 6, 2012 at 4:48 pmI love short ribs–these sounds fantastic. And the turnip puree is a great idea!