This is one of those dishes in which each flavor is so complementary to the others that you want to curate every forkful of it: A bit of the tender short rib, a swipe of creamy polenta, a dip in the tangy-sweet pomegranate demi-glace, and a peppery leaf of watercress. It makes a perfect bite.

It’s also a classically good-looking dish with a comforting, meaty heft — the kind you want to make for supper on a chilly Sunday and invite friends over to share. If your guest list is small, the short ribs will hold up well in the fridge; in fact, they’re even more delicious on day two!

Our tip: Ask for the demi-glace at your meat counter. If you’ve never used it before, it’s a thick sauce made with veal stock and sherry. And don’t sweat the braising wine, any red will do, but if you have to purchase one, a Cabernet Sauvignon will work great. Pick up ingredients for this great recipe and more at your local Gelson's today!

Servings: 12 to 18


Ingredients

3 Tbsp grapeseed oil
2 lbs short ribs, bone in
2 medium carrots
1 medium onion
2 stalks celery
3 sprigs rosemary
1 head garlic
6 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs oregano
2 Tbsp tomato paste
⅛ cup all-purpose flour
1 bottle red wine
4 cups beef stock
1 16-oz tube polenta
8 oz pomegranate juice
1 1.5-oz package demi-glace
1 bunch watercress
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Generously season the short ribs with salt and pepper.
2. In a heavy-bottomed dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat, and sear all sides of the short ribs. Remove ribs from the dutch oven and set aside. Discard any of the oil and fat that have accumulated, but do not clean the dutch oven.
3. Reduce the heat to medium, and add the carrot, onion, and celery, sautéing until the onions have browned, picking up all of the bits from the bottom of the dutch oven.
4. Add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, tomato paste, and flour, and cook for a few minutes until the tomato paste turns dark red.
5. Add the short ribs and wine, and increase the heat to medium-high, simmering until the wine has reduced by half. Add the beef stock, and simmer for another 4 hours.
6. In the meantime, prepare the tubed polenta according to the directions on the package, and set aside, covering to keep it warm.
7. About 20 minutes before the short ribs are done, combine the pomegranate juice and demi-glace mix in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, and simmer until it thickens.
8. Serve the short ribs over the polenta with the demi-glace spooned on top and a garnish of watercress.