Ingredients

500g piece of short rib, off the bone

30g sea salt

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 tsp white peppercorns, lightly crushed  

2 sprigs thyme

1 sprig rosemary

Method

Combine the salt, pepper, garlic and herbs. Liberally sprinkle over the short rib and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 120°C. Rinse off the salt mix and pat dry. Lay out a large piece of foil and top with another piece of greaseproof paper, both large enough to wrap the beef. Wrap up in greaseproof and foil to form parcel with the beef inside; make sure it’s well sealed.

Pop in the oven and cook for about four hours until the meat is soft and yielding. Poke a skewer into the meat and if it doesn’t meet with any resistance then it’s done. If it feels a bit tough, return to the oven for another 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Gently remove the foil and greaseproof, place in a tray or dish. Place another tray on top and press with a medium weight in the fridge overnight.

Once pressed, remove from the fridge and cut into about 2cm thick slices; your portions should be approximately 120g.

Ingredients

50g butter

2 shallots, peeled and finely sliced

2 cloves smashed garlic

100g button mushrooms, finely sliced

200ml red wine

500ml beef stock

Olive oil

Method

Heat a good splash of olive oil in a saucepan. Fry the shallots, mushrooms and garlic until softened and just starting to brown. Add the red wine and bring to the boil. Boil for 3-4 minutes, or until the volume of liquid has reduced by two-thirds.

Add the stock, return the mixture to a simmer and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the volume of liquid has reduced to a nice saucy consistency. Pass through a fine sieve into a clean container. At this point, the sauce can be chilled and kept until needed. When ready to use bring to the boil and finish with the butter.

Ingredients

2 short rib pieces

40 g bacon lardons

80g mixed wild mushrooms

1 medium sized onion – split but unpeeled

Seasonal greens

10ml Sherry vinegar

Red wine jus – see below

Olive oil

Butter

1 sprig thyme

1 clove garlic – crushed

1 tbsp chopped parsley

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C, heat a frying pan with a good splash of oil and pan-fry the cut side of the onion until lovely and golden, place in an oven dish with 20g butter and the sherry vinegar, pop in the oven for about 30minutes until nice and tender. Take out the oven, remove the peel and keep warm.

Pan-fry the short rib portions in another drop of oil for a minute on each side, place in a dish with a couple of spoons of red wine jus, pop in the oven for about 10 minutes, basting with the sauce 2-3 times during the heating time.

Return the pan to the heat and fry the lardons until golden and crispy, using a slotted spoon remove from the pan and place in the dish with the onions, again return the pan to the heat, in the bacon fat fry the wild mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, when they start to brown add a knob of butter, the garlic and thyme, sauté for a further couple of minutes until cooked. Drain and discard the thyme and garlic, finish with the chopped parsley, place in the dish with onions and lardons.

While the mushrooms are cooking, place the greens in a pan of boiling salted water for approximately 5 minutes or until tender, bring the red wine jus to the boil.

Remove the short rib from the oven, brush with any sauce left in the dish to give a final glaze. Top the beef with the wild mushrooms and lardons, place in the centre of a warm plate; arrange the onion alongside and finish with the greens, spoon over the jus. Serve with some buttered new or creamed potatoes. Enjoy!