Mexican beef short ribs

Serves 6 Preparation time: 40 minutes Cooking time: 57 minutes

cup plain flour 1 teaspoon chilli powder 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika 6 beef short ribs (about 2kg) 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 red capsicum, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, crushed

cup chipotle sauce 1 cup beef stock 400g tin cherry tomatoes 400g tin pureed tomatoes 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 2 bay leaves

cup coriander leaves 1 cup sour cream, to serve 2 limes, halved, to serve

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Put the flour in a lidded container with half of the spices and shake to combine. Add the ribs one by one and shake to coat.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed, oven-proof casserole dish and brown the ribs over a medium heat on all sides. Add more oil as necessary.

Put the ribs to one side and add the onion to the dish. Season with salt and pepper and add the capsicum and garlic and cook over a gentle heat for 8-10 minutes until soft but not browned. Add the chipotle sauce, stock, tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, and the rest of the spices and stir to combine. Add the bay leaves and bring to a boil.

Add the browned beef ribs, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for four hours then remove from the oven, cool and chill in the fridge for two hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 160C. Skim the hardened fat from the top of the dish and transfer the ribs to a baking dish. Cover with tinfoil and cook a further 60 minutes.

While the beef is cooking, simmer the sauce gently on the cooktop for 30 minutes.

Serve the beef ribs with sauce spooned over the polenta (see recipe below), sprinkled with coriander. Leftover sauce can be served on the side, alongside the sour cream and lime halves to squeeze over as desired.