Good afternoon dear readers, I hope you’re having a great weekend so far. I definitely am! Wish I could sleep in more and how I wish we had an extra day of weekend just to anything we love. How good would that be? Any who! It’s the weekend should we should all just embrace it! hehe I’ve got some exciting news to share! Remember the Taylors Wine giveaway I did a few months back? They decided to send me a different type of wine each month to come up with a dish and share the recipe! This month, I chose their Taylors Estate 2010 Clare Valley Shiraz.
Before the wines even arrived, I already had a few ideas in my head. But after reading the palate notes, there was only one dish that came to my mind : beef ribs ! The wine was really smooth and robust, with notes of plum, blackcurrant and dark cherries! Yum! I am by no means an expert on wines, but it is really easy to drink, and not too dry!
What I love is the intensity of the colour of the ribs and sauce! A deep red colour especially after it’s been cooking and reducing in the oven. And what’s better than tender, melt-in-your-mouth pieces of meat? Absolutely nothing! hehe
And I was debating if I should make a creamy mash to go with it, but because I’m in a current cauliflower phase (check out the cauliflower rice that I’m addicted to!), I decided to make some cauliflower puree which paired perfectly with the ribs! Plus it’s like killing two birds with one stone, cause I didn’t need to make a side of greens! hehe But just to make the dish have some kind of crunch, I sauteed some cauliflower florets with toasted hazelnuts. AMAZING!
So go get yourself a bottle of Taylors Wine Clare Valley Shiraz and give this a shot! You won’t regret it, my tummy assures you! (:
Slow Cooked Shiraz Beef Ribs (A Food Made With Love Original)
2 kg beef short ribs
500ml Shiraz
500ml beef stock
1 heap tbs tomato paste
2 tbs olive oil, extra for sealing the ribs)
2 tbs passata
1 bulb garlic, cut into half
2 large chillies, deseeded and roughly sliced
salt and ground black pepper, to season
Steps :
1) Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celcius. Season the beef ribs generously with salt and ground black pepper. Heat a heavy based pot (I used my cast iron pot) on high and add some olive oil. Seal the ribs on all sides and set aside.
2) In the same pot, add the tomato paste, passata, garlic, chilli and the shiraz. Bring it to a boil and allow it to reduce by half.
3) Return the beef ribs into the pot and add the beef stock, making sure it covers at least 3/4 of the ribs.
4) Bring it to a boil, then cover and place the pot into the preheated oven and allow it to cook for at least 2 hours, or until the meat falls off the bones, and the liquid has reduced to a sticky and thicker consistency. The colour of the gravy has also become an intense red!
5) To serve, place the beef ribs on the cauliflower puree (recipe to follow) or a rich and velvety smooth mash, top with the cauliflower florets and hazelnut and drizzle the thick and luscious gravy. DIG IN!
Cauliflower Puree (recipe from Manu’s French Bistro)
500g cauliflower florets
200ml milk
50g unsalted butter
sea salt and ground black pepper
Steps :
1) Place the cauliflower and milk in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender, then drain and discard the milk.
2) Place the cauliflower, butter, salt & pepper in a food processor and process still you get a smooth puree. Transfer to a clean saucepan and keep warm.
Cauliflower Florets & Hazelnuts Mixture (Recipe from Manu’s French Bistro)
50g hazelnuts
200g cauliflower, cut into small florets
50g unsalted butter, cubed
Steps :
1) In a small frying pan, toast the hazelnuts until golden brown. Place them in a clean tea towel and remove the skins by giving it a rub. Place them in a plastic bag, crush them slightly, using a rolling pin. Set aside.
2) In a larger frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the cauliflower florets and cook for 5-6 minutes or until golden and tender. Add the hazelnuts and stir to combine. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm.
So go grab yourself a bottle of Taylors Clare Valley Shiraz and give this a try! (: Thank you Taylors Wines once again for the beautiful bottles of wine and the opportunity to come up with a recipe with it! Have a great week ahead everyone! Remember to always cook and bake with love!
Till the next post, x
Food Made With Love 
