Braised Short Ribs

I have always wanted to try short ribs.  Most of the recipes I see are for braised short ribs.  I saw them on sale last week and grabbed them and yesterday was cooking day.  The prep was a bit labor intensive, but since I had so many ingredients out,  I took the opportunity to prep another meal at the same time.  I have been doing this alot lately, especially with baking.  The recipe for short ribs is an amalgom of several recipes,articles and tv shows I have stored in memory.The sauce is a great base for any braised meat.  As the ribs were braising, and  infusing the home with the most amazing fragrance,  I thought they would go perfect with some florally jasmine rice and fresh cilantro. I alsao added some fresh sauteed asparagus to round the dish out. 

Ingredients

• 6 bone-in short ribs (about 5 3/4 pounds) 
• Salt
• Olive oil
• 1 large vidalia  onion
• 2 carrots, peeled, 1 cups tomato paste
• 2 cups red wine
• 2 cups water
• A bunch of fresh thyme
• 3 bay leaves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Season each short rib generously with salt. Coat a dutch oven with olive oil and bring to a high heat. 
3. Add the short ribs and sear both sides,  about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
4. While the short ribs are browning, chop then  puree all the vegetables and garlic in the food processor until it forms a paste.
5. When the short ribs are very brown on all sides, remove them from the pan. 
6. Drain the fat, coat the bottom of same pan with fresh oil and add the pureed vegetables. 
7. Season the vegetables generously with salt and sautee, about 4 minutes.
8. Add the tomato paste and mix in thoroughly.
9. Add the wine and incorporate all ingredients well.  
10. Bring to a boil.
11. Decrease heat to simmer and reduce the mixture by half.
12. Return the short ribs to the pan and cover with water.   
13. Add the thyme and bay leaves.
14. Cover the pan and place in the preheated oven for 3 hours.
15. Check to make sure there is enough water through out the cooking time. Add more water as needed.  
16. After cooking, remove bay leaves.  
17. Serve alongside your favorite rice or egg noodles.