Ingredients — Braised Short Ribs

Note: this recipe intentionally removes whole thyme stalks (we’re keeping the herb profile clean so the gremolata and fennel pollen can shine).

Ingredients — Polenta (Goat Cheese, Lavender & Fennel Pollen)

• 1 cup coarse polenta (or medium-ground cornmeal)
• 4 cups water (or 2 cups water + 2 cups low-salt beef or vegetable broth for more depth)
• 1½ tsp kosher salt (adjust to taste)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil or dairy-free butter substitute
• 4 oz (115 g) goat cheese, room temperature (reserve a little for finishing)
• ⅛ tsp culinary lavender (optional — tiny pinch)
• ½ tsp fennel pollen (total; adjust to taste)
• Freshly ground black pepper

If you skip lavender, keep the fennel pollen — it pairs beautifully with beef and goat cheese.

Ingredients — Lemon-Parsley-Garlic Gremolata

• 1 cup packed flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
• Zest of 1 lemon (finely grated)
• 2–3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Equipment & notes

Dutch oven or heavy ovenproof pot with lid, blender or immersion blender plus fine mesh sieve (optional), sous-vide circulator and vacuum or zip bags if holding polenta, fine mesh strainer, wooden spoon, whisk.

Method — Braised Short Ribs & Sauce

1. Preheat oven to 325°F / 163°C.
2. Pat the short ribs dry, season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the Dutch oven over medium-high heat with the oil. Brown ribs in batches (2–3 min per side) until deeply browned. Transfer ribs to a plate and set aside.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, carrots and mushrooms to the pot; sweat until softened and starting to color (6–8 minutes). Add smashed garlic and cook 30–60 seconds until fragrant.
4. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Pour in the red wine to deglaze, scraping up browned bits. Reduce wine by half (2–4 minutes).
5. Add the diced tomatoes, beef broth, bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Return the short ribs and any accumulated juices to the pot; the liquid should come about halfway up the ribs. Bring to a gentle simmer.
6. Cover and transfer to the oven. Braise for 2½–3 hours, or until the meat is very tender and almost falling from the bone.
7. When ribs are done, remove the ribs to a warm plate and tent with foil. Skim off and discard excess surface fat from the braising liquid. Remove and discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
8. Carefully transfer the remaining braising liquid and vegetables to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and puree until smooth. If you want a super-silky sauce, pass the puree through a fine mesh sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing to extract liquid; discard solids. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and reduce slightly to concentrate — taste and adjust seasoning. If sauce needs body, swirl in a small knob of butter or a spoon of reduced stock (or, for dairy-free, a little olive oil) just before serving.
9. Return the short ribs to the warm sauce to reheat briefly (2–3 minutes) or spoon sauce over when plating. Serve short ribs on a bed of polenta and finish with a spoonful of sauce and a scattering of gremolata.

Method — Goat-Cheese Polenta

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of water (or water + broth) to a gentle simmer with the pinch of culinary lavender and the salt. Let the lavender steep 4–5 minutes very gently, then fish out any larger pieces (or leave them and strain later) so you don’t get herb bits in the polenta.
2. Slowly whisk in the polenta. Reduce heat to low and stir frequently to avoid lumps and sticking. Cook 25–30 minutes until creamy with a slight texture from the polenta. Add a splash of hot liquid if it becomes too thick.
3. Off the heat, stir in the olive oil (or butter), crumbled goat cheese (reserve a small amount for finishing), and ½ tsp fennel pollen. Whisk until smooth and creamy. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
4. Finish with a light dusting of extra fennel pollen and a crack of black pepper when plating.

Gremolata & Finishing

1. Mix chopped parsley, lemon zest, minced garlic and olive oil in a small bowl. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Let rest for 5 minutes to marry flavors.
2. To plate: Spoon polenta into shallow bowls, place a short rib on top, ladle warm pureed sauce around/over the rib, and finish with a generous spoonful of gremolata and a crumble of goat cheese if desired.

Holding & Service — Polenta in Sous-Vide

1. Cook polenta fully on stovetop and finish with goat cheese as above.
2. Transfer hot polenta to a vacuum bag or heavy-duty zip bag. If using a zip bag, use the water displacement method to remove air before sealing: slowly lower the bag into a pot of water to push air out, then seal at the top.
3. Set sous-vide bath to 160°F / 71°C. Place the sealed bag in the bath. The polenta will hold beautifully for up to 2 hours.
4. When ready to serve, gently squeeze/re-massage the bag to recombine. If it’s thickened, whisk in hot stock or water (1–3 Tbsp) after removing from the bag to loosen; reheat briefly on the stove if needed.

Sauce Storage & Reheating

Leftover pureed braising sauce keeps 3–4 days refrigerated. Reheat gently in a saucepan over low heat; if it’s very thick, add a splash of stock or red wine and whisk until glossy. If you’ve refrigerated the sauce and fat solidifies on top, skim off excess fat before reheating for a cleaner finish.

Timing Guide (cook schedule)

• 0:00 — Brown ribs, sweat vegetables, deglaze and assemble braise; into oven at 325°F.
• +2:30 to 3:00 hrs — Ribs tender. Remove ribs, skim fat, puree braising liquid and reduce to taste.
• While sauce reduces — cook polenta (25–30 min) and make gremolata.
• Finish & plate: reheat ribs in sauce, spoon polenta, add ribs, sauce, gremolata.

Chef’s Notes & Variations

— Swap some of the beef broth for a splash of aged balsamic (1–2 tsp) at the end if you want a sweet-tangy lift. — For a smokier profile, add ¼ tsp smoked paprika to the braise. — Wild mushrooms amplify umami; add them toward the end of the vegetable sweated phase to retain texture.

Allergies & dietary notes

This recipe is dairy-reduced but not dairy-free (goat cheese). To make fully dairy-free, substitute a plant-based tangy cheese or blend in more olive oil and a splash of unsweetened oat cream to mimic richness.