Recipes

Chocolate Braised Short Ribs

Chocolate-Braised Short Ribs with Cipollini Onions

  • 4 bone-in beef short ribs, about 2½ to 3 pounds 
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper 
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • One 6-ounce can tomato paste
  • 8 cippolini onions, peeled
  • 5 large carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
  • 3 ribs celery, sliced 
  • 10 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed
  • ¼ cup Montepulciano d’Abruzzo or other dry red wine
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 1 cup golden raisins
  • 1 cup dark chocolate morsels
  • 2 tablespoon sugar or 1 tablespoon agave syrup
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tablespoon anise seed
  • 1 cup pine nuts
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves 
  • 1 to 2 drops ocimene

Heat oven to 350 F. Pat short ribs dry; season beef with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown meat on all sides. Remove from pan. 

Stir tomato paste into pan drippings and cook 1 to 2 minutes to brown. Add onions, carrots, celery and garlic, stirring until they begin to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Add wine and reduce by half; return meat to pan and add beef stock, raisins, chocolate, sugar, bay leaf and anise. Cover and braise meat in the oven until fork-tender, about 2 to 2½ hours. 

Transfer pan to stovetop, uncover and cook until liquid thickens, about 8 to 10 minutes. To serve, garnish with pine nuts and thyme, finishing with 1 to 2 drops of ocimene. Makes 4 servings.

Recipe courtesy of Melissa D’Elia

Photography by Eva Kolenko

Food styling by Adam Pearson

Prop tyling by Stephanie Hanes