Braised Short Rib Pot Pie

    

 

Who doesn’t love a great pot pie?  Meat and vegetables and gravy under a blanket of pastry, these pies are American Classics.  But they go back in culinary history considerably longer. In the Roman Empire, the pastry was banquet fare.  Sometimes the crust revealed live birds, which must have been quite a shock to unsuspecting guests.   In 16th century England meat pies became all the rage.  The English ate meat pies of all sorts – pork, lamb, game and they were especially fond of using venison. 

 

 These delicious ribs made with red wine and topped with a flaky sour cream pastry will warm your bones in the heart of this cold, cold Winter! 

I have made this rib recipe for several years. I serve with mashed potatoes for a delicious dinner. You can find that recipe here.

Last week I made the ribs with mashed potatoes and had lots of left over ribs. Now I could just make a second dinner, but, opted to make these delicious pot pies! I also made a delicious lunch of Braised Rib Tacos...YUM! 

BTW- if you love savory pies, check out my Chicken Pot Pies.

Sour Cream Pastry

2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

12 T unsalted cold butter, cut into small pieces 

1/2 c. sour cream

In a food processor, combine flour and salt. Place the cold butter on top of flour and pulse machine a few times, until butter is cut into flour and resembles coarse meal.

Remove mixture to a bowl, add the sour cream and mix together. Dough will be soft. Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead a few times. Form into a ball, sprinkle with a little flour, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 1-2 hours. Can be made 2 days ahead and can be frozen.

~Because I love crust, I double this recipe

The Ribs

Ingredients
5 lbs. bone-in beef short ribs, cut crosswise into 2" pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 medium onions, chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped 
4 T. all-purpose flour
2 T. tomato paste
1 750-milliliter bottle dry red wine (Zinfindel or Cabernet Sauvignon)
10 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
8 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs oregano
3 sprigs rosemary

2 fresh or dried bay leaves 

1 head of garlic cloves peeled 

1 pack of pearl onion

4 cups beef stock, I use Swanson or make my own 

 

Additional vegetables -optional

 

1 1/2 cups of  carrots, cut into 1" chunks

1 1/2  cups mushrooms

8-10 baby red potatoes 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Season short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, brown short ribs on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer short ribs to a plate. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons drippings from pot.

Add onions, carrots, and celery to pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until onions are browned, about 5 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring constantly, until well combined and deep red, 2-3 minutes. Stir in wine, then add short ribs with any accumulated juices. Bring to a boil; lower heat to medium and simmer until wine is reduced by half, about 25 minutes. Add all herbs to pot along with garlic. Stir in stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven.

To easily peel the pearl onions, put them in a pot of boiling water for about a minute. The peel will easily peel off. 

Cook until short ribs are tender, 2-2 1/2 hours. The last 1/2 hour add the pearl onions. Transfer short ribs to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Strain sauce from pot into a measuring cup, pluck out the pearl onions. Spoon fat from surface of sauce and discard; season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. 

While ribs are cooking you can cook some additional vegetables to add to your pot pie. I cook carrots, red potatoes and sometimes saute mushrooms.

Assembly

 

 

In individual dishes put equal portions of meat and vegetables or transfer the meat and vegetables to 2 quart shallow baking dish. Cover with the sauce.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4" thick. Place over filling and trim, leaving overhang. Tuck edges under and crimp, make sure the dough is NOT hanging outside the dish, this is a soft dough and it will fall off in oven. Cut a few slits in crust, make some cute cut outs to put on the top. Brush with cream and sprinkle with sea salt. Alternatively, you can use 8 individual dishes.

 

 

Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake pot pie until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown, 50–60 minutes (35–40 minutes for smaller dishes). Let sit 5–10 minutes before serving.

Crust can be made 2 days ahead; keep chilled.

Filling can be made 2-3 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat gently before assembling pie.

Cheers! JJ