Here’s what Ben had to say about his braised short ribs...

‘This dish really reminds me of New York, where short ribs are often on the menu. I have been working on this dish for months, and thought I’d share the result with you - it’s well worth the effort.’ n.b. he’s a big guy, so assume that his dish for 4 may well feed 6 or more pint-sized folks (like myself).

Ingredients - serves 4 1.2 kg beef short ribs olive oil, for frying 1 sprig fresh rosemary 4 sprigs fresh thyme 1 bay leaf 1 stick celery, finely chopped 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped 4 shallots, peeled and cut into slices 3 garlic cloves, peeled and halved 2 tbsp Eassential tomato paste good dash of Worcestershire sauce 1/2 bottle good red wine 75ml port 750ml good beef or veal stock salt, pepper

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 140C/275F/gas mark 1.
Tie the ribs with kitchen string to stop them falling apart while cooking. Heat a little oil in a heavy casserole and brown the ribs all over. Remove the ribs with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2 Add the herbs and vegetables to the casserole and brown in the remaining oil over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a further 2 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine and port, and reduce over high heat until syrupy. Put the browned ribs back into the pot, pour in the stock, add Worcestershire sauce, and bring to a boil. Transfer to the oven and braise until tender - about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. While it cooks, toss some carrots in olive oil and seasoning and roast in a separate pan for about an hour.

3 Serve ribs with the carrots, buttery mashed potatoes and whole grain mustard.