Tommy and Anchovy Short Ribs
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About this recipe
Dave's Ribs in Red Wine has been a favourite for years (worth a look here if you've not seen it). This one's the same patient game with a different soundtrack — tomato and anchovy doing the work instead of red wine.
The real win is the timing. You can do the whole thing the night before — long brown, long braise, lid on, walk away. Then on the day, all that's left is to bring it together while everyone else assumes you've been slaving over the stove. Brucy bonus territory.
What it actually asks of you is time and a glass of something while it cooks. Get the base going slowly, take in the smell of anchovy melting into onions and tomato, drop the ribs in, blanket on, forget about it. Nothing else required for three hours. It is, frankly, civilised.
Essentials
This recipe needs time. Prep, cook and then bring together at the end.
Prep Time: 60 minutes
Total Cook: 4-5 hours - Oven/Slow cooker
If you are going fancy, you can do the day before: Allow 1 hour the next day
Difficulty: ★☆☆
Before you start
- Oven on at 230C fan if browning ribs in over
- Oven on at 160C fan if browning on hob
Ingredients (Serves 4)
200g Plain flour with salt and pepper.
2 Beef Short Ribs
1 pack of beef dripping
100g Butter
2 Onions
2 Carrots
2 sticks Celery
Tin of anchovies
4 Garlic cloves
A big squirt of tomato puree
1 Tin of plum tomatoes
At least 500ml of good beef stock
Kitchen Soundtrack
100% something to not rush too. Such a silky smooth compilation from back in 2012.
Method
Step 1 - Brown the beef ribs
Heat the oven to 230 °C and put your pack of beef dripping into a deep pan or tray to melt whilst the oven heats up.
Coat the ribs in seasoned flour, ensuring flour gets into all the nooks and crannies, knocking off any excess.
Once the oven is hot and the dripping has melted, turn the ribs in the dripping until it’s fully coated.
As the sides brown, turn them every 5 minutes to ensure everything colours up nicely.
When browned on all sides, which should be around 20 minutes, pull out whilst we wait for the base to be ready.
Pour the dripping out into a ramekin and use it for something else, like roasties!
Turn the oven down to 160C and make sure there is room for your pot including the lid to sit in there.
Top tip
I find that doing in the pan risks burning the flour leaving a bitter taste. Doing in the oven with dripping ensures you get all the crisp, colour and flavour without risk. You have to heat the oven anyways!
To save some time, whilst the oven is heating up and when the ribs are browning, start your base in Step 2.
Step 2 - Make the base
In a heavy based pot with a lid, add some butter oven a medium heat.
Chop your onions and add to the pan with a pinch of salt and stir, lid on and give them 5 minutes to sweat.
Chop your carrots and celery then add to the pan and give another good stir, lid back on.
Keep an eye on it but give it as long as you can, usually 20-30 minutes with the odd stir and lid on will bring out all the flavours.
Next, make a well in the centre and add the anchovy, oil as well. Give them a gentle stir and they will start the break down and melt, should take about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic to the centre and cook for a further 2 minutes. Once done, mix it all together.
Create another well and add tomato puree and cook out for 5 minutes, again when done mix it all together.
Finally, add the tin of whole plum tomatoes and give it a good stir. I like to press the tomatoes with a potato masher to squash them a little and help them break down.
Top tip
Adding a pinch of salt at the start helps bring out moisture and leaving the lid on creates the steam, all of which help prevent the veg from burning.
Step 3 - Tuck it all up nicely ready for the long cook
Nestle your ribs into the sauce
Add beef stock until it’s 3/4 up the ribs
Add a cartouche, cutting a small hole in the centre
Cover and leave for 3 hours
Top tip
When making a cartouch, you have two options:
1. Take some greaseproof paper and draw a circle round the lid of your pan and cut it out.
2. Fold a square of greaseproof paper in half and repeat 5 times, then cut a curve at the top, so it's half the width of your pan.
Step 4 - Wake it up and prep for bringing it together
After 3 hours, the ribs should be very tender but not falling apart.
Remove the cartouche and lid, turn the oven down to 140 °C and cook for another 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven.
Remove the ribs carefully and set aside.
Strain the fat off the top with a spoon or ladle. Keep this, it’s great for cooking spuds, eggs or anything else you want to be super tasty!.
At this point, you have some options.
1) Remove the ribs, mix up the sauce and serve it all over some mash.
2) Remove the ribs, blitz up the sauce in a blender, reduce and then serve with the ribs.
3) Go fancy, see step 5.
Step 5 - Optional Overnight Prep Steps
Let everything cool
Carefully wrap the ribs and put in the fridge overnight
Strain the veg from the sauce and then put both in the fridge too.
Go to bed with excitement and anticipation of tomorrow’s delights and safe in the knowledge that the hard work is done.
Step 6 - Bring it together (again!)
When you are ready to pull it together, have your mash on the go.
Put the oven on low at 60 °C.
Remove any excess fat from the sauce, leaving some is ok as it adds flavour.
Heat the sauce up gently.
Whilst this is warming up, add the veg to a blender and add a good splash of boiling water and blend.
It’s easier to add a little more if it’s not saucey enough. It should just start to resemble a thick soup.Strain it all through a fine sieve, pushing through with the back of a spoon.
Add this to the sauce warming in the pan.
Trim the chilled ribs from any tough or excessively hangy bits. This is usually where the rib is attached.
Slice carefully with a very sharp knife, wiping the blade each time to ensure each slice is super clean and doesn’t pull the meat apart.
Lay out the slices on a baking sheet, brush with the sauce and put in the oven for 5-10 minutes until warmed through.
Serve with mash, sauce underneath and the sliced ribs carefully placed on top.
Feel free to add a dash more sauce, some chopped parsley and a splash of decent extra virgin olive oil if you like.
Enjoy
References, acknowledgments and influences
- Dave!!! Looking back at past food and seeing Dave's Ribs in Red Wine.
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