• Preheat the oven to 350F Season the ribs all over with salt and pepper.
  
• Lightly coat the bottom of a heavy braising pot with oil. Heat to hot and then, working in batches, brown the ribs on all sides. Give them a few minutes per side to make sure they get nice and brown. Remove the ribs to a plate.
  
• Add the onions and carrots to the pot and saute for a few minutes until they start to soften. Stir often, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
  
• Add the flour and tomato paste and continue to cook and stir. It's ok if it starts to stick to the pan, but stir constantly for a minute or two and don't let it burn.
  
• Add the wine to the pan and then the short ribs. Bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan as it heats. Lower the heat and gently boil for about 15 minutes, or until the wine has reduced by about 1/3.
  
• Add the herbs, garlic, and beef stock to the pot stir well. Bring up to a boil, then cover, and transfer the pot to the oven and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Tip: after about 30 minutes I check the pot, if it's gently simmering, great. But if it's rapidly boiling, turn down your heat to 325F.
  
• Remove the ribs, carefully, from the pot and set on a plate. They should be falling off the bone and fork tender.
• Strain the gravy and discard the solids.
• Serve the ribs, 2 per serving, on top of hot polenta and ladle with gravy. Garnish with fresh thyme (or parsley.) Tip: the gravy should be thin, but if you'd like it thicker, just boil it down in a saucepan until it reaches your desired thickness.
  

To make polenta

• Bring the water, milk, and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Slowly sprinkle in the polenta, whisking constantly.
• Lower the heat and cook, stirring often, for about 15 minutes, or until thick. You can partially cover the pot to protect against eruptions!
• Remove from the heat, add in the butter and cheese and stir until melted. Check the seasonings.