2 BRAISED SHORT RIBS

Restaurant: Big Blue Brewing

4½ pounds beef short ribs

3 medium onions, chopped in small pieces

3 medium carrots, chopped in small pieces

2 celery stalks, chopped in small pieces

4 cups red wine 8 sprigs thyme

2 sprigs rosemary

2 fresh or dried bay leaves

1 head of garlic, chopped in small pieces

2 cups beef stock Salt and pepper to taste

Cut short ribs crosswise into 2-inch pieces, season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in braising pot on medium-high heat. Brown short ribs on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer short ribs to a bowl. Add onions, garlic, carrots and celery to a pot and cook over mediumhigh heat, stirring often until browned, about 8 minutes. Add wine and stir, then add short ribs with any accumulated juices. Add beef stock and bring to boil. Lower heat to medium and simmer until reduced by half, about 35 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add all herbs to pot and bring to boil. Cover and transfer to oven. Cook until short ribs are tender, about 2 hours. Strain sauce from pot into saucepan, add more wine or beef stock to taste. Use thickening agent (roux or corn starch) for thicker sauce.

SWEET POTATO MASHED

6 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

¾ cup milk

½ cup butter

Maple syrup to taste

In a medium pot, bring water to boil. Add potatoes and cook for 30 minutes or until tender. With a hand mixer, mix sweet potatoes and slowly add milk, about ½ cup at a time. When mixture is smooth, add butter. Top with maple syrup to taste.

4721 SE 10th Place, Cape Coral; 239-471-2777, bigbluebrewing.com