Braised Short Ribs Provençal

Ingredients:

• 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 pounds English-cut short ribs
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
• 1 very large sweet yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped
• 1 or 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
• 12 peeled cloves of garlic
• 1 T. dried herbes de Provence
• 2 T. all-purpose flour
• 2 cups hearty dry red wine
• 1-2 cups hearty beef broth
• 14 ounces diced tomatoes in their juice
• 1 T. dried tomato powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths
• 1/2 cup Niçoise olives, with their pits
• 1 T. dried parsley or 4 T. chopped fresh parsley

Heat the oil in a very large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. In batches, without crowding, add the short ribs to the pot and brown on all sides. This will take about 6-8 minutes per batch. Transfer the ribs to a warm platter.

Pour off all but 2 T. of the fat from the pot. Add the onion, chopped carrot, and celery to the pot, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook with frequent stirring, until the vegetables are soft (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic, herbes de Provence, and flour, and stir until the garlic is fragrant (1 minute). Add the wine, scraping the bits from the bottom of the pot. Boil over high heat while stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot. Add the broth, tomatoes, tomato powder, cut carrots, and bay leaf. Return the ribs and any accumulated juices to the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Cover the pot with a tight lid, transfer to the oven, and bake until the meat is falling off the bones, about 2-3 hours. During the last ten minutes add the olives and parsley.

If the sauce is not thick enough, remove the ribs and vegetables to a warm platter, and boil the sauce until thickened. Serves 8.