This weekend is one of my favorite events in Sonoma County: A Wine & Food Affair. This is the 14^th year that the event has been put on by the Wine Road of Northern Sonoma County.  This year we’re preparing one of my favorite dishes, red wine braised short ribs with truffled celery root puree.

We’ll be serving up this dish in the Kendall-Jackson tasting room on Healdsburg square, so be sure to stop by and try a bite – trust me, it’s worth it.

But in case you can’t stop by – or you want some more – here’s the recipe so you can make it at home.

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs with Truffled Celery Root Puree
Paired with Kendall-Jackson Highland Estates Hawkeye Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

The rich flavor of braised short ribs pairs wonderfully with the balanced tannins in the Kendall-Jackson Highland Estates Hawkeye Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.  We like to serve this with truffled celery root puree, the freshness of the celery root and the earthiness of the black truffles complements this lush and elegant wine.

Recipe by the Kendall-Jackson Culinary Team

Serves 4 to 6

For the short ribs:
Ingredients

• 5 lbs. beef short ribs (bone in)
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup rice oil
• 2 carrots, large dice
• 2 celery, large dice
• 1 onion, large dice
• 2 slices of bacon, minced
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 3 cups red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2 qts. veal stock (low sodium beef stock may be substituted)
• 1 sachet (containing 1 sprig thyme, 1 Tbsp. black peppercorns, 1 Tbsp. allspice and 1 bay leaf)

Method

1. Remove short ribs from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.  Season ribs liberally with salt and pepper.  Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. Heat a large sauté pan until almost smoking.  Add rice oil and brown ribs on all sides until very dark, but not burnt.  Remove ribs from sauté pan and place into a roasting pan.  Using the same pan, sauté vegetables until golden brown.
3.  Add bacon and cook 1 minute more.  Add tomato paste and stir until all vegetables are coated and nicely caramelized.  Deglaze the pan with wine and reduce by 80%.
4. Add vegetable mixture to roasting pan, followed by the veal stock.  Place the roasting pan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.  Skim off any foam that comes to the surface.
5. Add the sachet and tightly cover roasting pan with aluminum foil.  Place in oven and braise ribs until fork tender, approximately 3 hours.
6. Remove ribs from oven and let cool in the braising liquid.  When the ribs are cool enough to handle, remove from the braising liquid and discard any excess fat, gristle and bone.  Skim off any fat from the liquid and strain out all the vegetables (vegetables can be discarded or saved for another use).  Return the liquid to a simmer and reduce by half.  Strain braising liquid through a fine sieve and pour over the short ribs.  Reserve in refrigerator.

For the celery root puree:
Ingredients

• 1½ lbs. celery root, peeled and cut into ½ -inch pieces
• ½ cup russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ -inch pieces
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Kosher salt
• ½ cup black truffle butter (½ cup unsalted butter with 1 Tbsp. truffle oil may be substituted)
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Place celery root, potatoes and cream in a heavy-bottomed sauce pot.  Bring to a simmer.  Season with salt and cover.  Cook, covered, for approximately 6 to 8 minutes or until potatoes and celery root are tender.
2. Once tender, remove from heat and strain liquid from solids.  Reserve the cream.  Place potato and celery root into blender or food processor (a blender produces a smoother consistency).  Add half of the liquid.  Puree and add only as much liquid as is needed.  Season to taste.  Blend in butter.  Remove from blender and reserve warm or chill and reheat with leftover cream.