Happy Pinot Noir Day. Now, Let's Eat.

18th August is International Pinot Noir Day.

Here is the ultimate recipe to help you celebrate.

And what better way to celebrate all things pinot than this winter warmer recipe.

And because the day falls in the middle of New Zealand winter, this is the perfect time of year to enjoy this variety, as it goes so well with the rich comfort food of winter.

Beef short ribs slow-braised in Pinot Noir transform them into an indulgent, luxurious, tender yumminess.

Sorry for the lack of cheffy terms, but to me this is the ultimate comfort food; serve it alongside creamy mashed potatoes, and this is happiness in a bowl.

Beef short ribs should come on the bone

...because all things cooked on the bone is better, better in flavour, better for texture and just generally better.

When it comes to the wine please, if there is only one thing you take away from this - is always use something you would drink, because realistically you get what you put into this dish and if you are using not great wine, the dish itself won’t be great either.

A couple of things to remember when making this recipe.

When you brown the beef, please take it as far as you are comfortable. Getting a deep brown crust of the ribs helped build even more flavour, don’t crowd the pan or you’ll steam the meat without browning it.

And secondly, a low slow oven really helps convert the tough connective tissue into that lovely gelatinous texture.

This gives the sauce a great mouthfeel and the meat a lovely texture.

Pinot Braised Beef Short Ribs

Serves 4 - gluten free/dairy free

Ingredients

• 1.5kgs bone in beef short ribs

• 2tsp salt/cracked pepper

• 1Tbsp Olive Oil

• 1 onion-finely sliced

• 2 carrots-diced

• 2 celery-diced

• 4 garlic-chopped

• 2Tbsp Tomato Paste

• 2C Pinot Wine

• 2C Beef Stock

• 2 sprigs rosemary/thyme

Method

Preheat oven to 160’C

Portion the ribs into individual pieces. Heat the oil while you season the ribs.

1. Brown the ribs in batches till brown on all sides.

2. Set aside till you have finished them all.

3. Reduce the heat and add in the vegetables and herbs; cook till softened and lightly brown.

4. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook further for 2mins.

5. Add in the wine, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to get all those tasty catch pieces

6. Reduce the wine by 1/2, then add in the stock and bring to the boil and add in the ribs and herbs.

7. Make sure the ribs are completely covered; if they aren’t, top up with more stock.

Part Two - The Oven

1. Cover with foil, then a tight lid and place in the oven for about 2.5hrs or till the meat is fork-tender.

2. Remove the ribs and keep warm while you reduce the liquid.

3. Remove herb stems, skim any fat and check the seasoning.

4. Return the ribs once you have reached the consistency you’d like.

Part Three - Serving Them Up

1. You can either remove the beef from the bones or keep them in; it’s completely up to you and how you are serving them.

2. These are great served with mashed potatoes, but my favourite is as a ragu for pasta.

3. Remove the bone, roughly shred into bite-sized pieces and reduce the sauce a bit more to coat the meat and pasta nicely.

4. Also great as an elevated pie filling, yum!!!

Happy Pinot Noir Day, everyone!