RECIPE: Red wine braised shortrib hotdish

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Chef Patrick O'Hare hails from Milwaukee, Wisconsin originally, but is proud to call St. Paul his home. 

His love of food started young while helping his dad cook at chili and barbecue competitions. 

Patrick spent a few years working as a Sous Chef at Public Kitchen + Bar before joining the opening team at Gray Duck Tavern in 2017. 

After taking over as executive chef for Gray Duck Tavern in 2018 Patrick has continued to use comfort food from around the globe as an inspiration for the creation of dishes with exciting flavors and uncommon ingredients.

RED WINE BRAISED SHORTRIB HOTDISH

Special Equipment:

A cast-iron dutch oven and oven-safe casserole dish that can each hold at least 1 quart of filling.

Technique tip:

Braise the beef and make the cream of mushroom each up to 7 days ahead of time to cut your cooking time when you’re ready to eat down by more than half. Or make extra and freeze some for an easy weeknight meal.

Swap Options:

You can swap out the beef for sauteed Impossible Beef to make this a great hearty vegetarian dish. You could also use any cut of beef that’s suitable for braising (such as chuck roast or shoulder clod) if you don’t want to splurge on the short rib.

Cream of Mushroom

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 ½ tablespoon Unsalted Butter
• 3 cup Oyster Mushrooms, Stems Removed
• 2 cup Red Wine
• ¾ cup Celery, ½” Dice
• ¾ cup Carrot, ½” Dice
• ¾ cup Onion, ½” Dice
• ¾ cup Leeks, Green Tops Removed, ¼” Dice
• 1 each Bay Leaves, Dried
• 2 tablespoon Garlic, Minced
• ½ teaspoon Fresh Thyme, Picked
• 2 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 cup Sour Cream
• 2 cup Water
• 3 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese, Shredded To taste
• Kosher Salt To taste
• Hot Sauce To taste
• Black Pepper, Freshly Ground

Method:

1. Melt butter and warm olive oil in your dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add your mushrooms. Resist the urge to stir. Let them sautee 5-6 minutes until the bottoms are nicely golden brown. Stir once, then allow to caramelize again. Be patient and allow the mushrooms to get browned and crispy before stirring. Repeat 2-3 times until the mushrooms are crisp and aromatic.
2. Carefully add wine (watch out for steam when it hits the pot!) and stir. Cook until the wine has completely boiled off and all that’s left in the pot are the wine-infused mushrooms and oil.
3. Add celery, carrot, onion, leeks, bay leaf, garlic, and thyme leaves. Cook, stirring frequently, until celery and onion are clear.
4. Add heavy cream, water, sour cream, and parmesan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the cream of mushroom has reached your desired consistency—it should be thick and creamy and cling to the back of a spoon.
5. Season to taste with hot sauce, salt, and pepper.

Red Wine Braised Short Rib

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds Boneless Beef Short Rib
• 4 cups Red Wine
• 4 tablespoons Canola Oil (or other high smoke point cooking oil)
• 1 heart Celery, Roughly Chopped
• 2 medium Carrot, Roughly Chopped
• 2 medium Yellow Onion, Roughly Chopped
• 3 each Garlic, Peeled Cloves
• 4 sprigs Thyme, Fresh Herb
• 2 each Bay Leaf, Dried
• 6 cups Beef Stock, Low Sodium
• 1 teaspoon Black Peppercorns, whole

Method:

1. Pour red wine over the beef and store overnight in your refrigerator.
2. The next day, pull the beef from the marinade and allow to dry on a rack, uncovered, in your refrigerator for a couple hours or, barring that, pat dry with a paper towel. Do not discard the wine—we will be using it later.
3. Heat the cooking oil in a heavy-bottomed dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear the beef on each side. Do not crowd the pan. As you do this, a nice bit of brown goodness should be building up at the bottom of the pot.
4. Once all the beef has been seared, add the celery, carrot, onion, and garlic to the pot. Reduce heat to medium-low and sweat the veg, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen all the good bits. Cook until celery and onion are clear.
5. Add the reserved red wine, thyme, bay leaf and black peppercorns and cook until the wine has been completely cooked off. The bottom of the pot should look just dry.
6. Return the beef to the pot, then pour enough beef stock over to just cover the beef.
7. Place the lid on the dutch oven and move to a pre-heated 350 degree oven for roughly 2 hours or until the beef is fork tender. As ovens cook at different speeds, I’d recommend checking the beef every half hour after the first hour.
8. Carefully remove the pot from the oven, then take the beef out of the pot. Allow to cool slightly before shredding into bite-sized pieces. Strain the braising liquid, saving the liquid and discarding all the vegetables.
9. Mix the shredded beef with roughly ½ cup of braising liquid and season to taste with salt.

Red Wine Braised Shortrib Hotdish

Ingredients:

• 4 cup
• Cream of Mushroom
• ¼ cup Frozen Peas
• 3 cup Red Wine Braised Shortrib
• ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, Shredded
• 3 cup Tater Tots
• 1 tablespoon Chives, Minced

Method:

1. Combine prepared Cream of Mushroom, Red Wine Braised Shortrib, and frozen peas in a pot. Heat until warmed through.
2. Meanwhile, prepare tater tots according to package directions, either deep frying (my favorite) or roasting.
3. Transfer warmed Cream of Mushroom mixture to a casserole dish. Top with the tater tots and roast in a pre-heated 425 F oven until sides bubble and tots are is golden brown and crisp on top.
4. Sprinkle parmesan cheese and chives over the top, then serve immediately.