I always forget how good beef short ribs are. They are exceedingly good here in this super easy slow cooker dish. The combination of the tender ribs in rich tomato-wine gravy over creamy gorgonzola polenta makes this the epitome of winter comfort food.

Country Beef Short Ribs With Gorgonzola Polenta

Ingredients:

3 pounds boneless beef short ribs
2 large onions, cut into thin wedges
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into thin wedges
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
Polenta (recipe follows)
1/3 cup crumbled Gorgonzola or other blue cheese

Directions:

1. Trim fat from ribs, set aside.

2. In a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker, combine onions, carrots, and fennel. Place beef on top of vegetables.

3. In a small bowl, stir together undrained tomatoes, wine, tapioca, tomato paste, dried rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic. Pour over mixture in cooker.

4. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 9 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4-1/2 to 5 hours.

5. Meanwhile, prepare Polenta as directed; stir in the 1/3 cup Gorgonzola cheese after cooking.

6. To serve, spoon Polenta into shallow bowls. Spoon beef and vegetable mixture over Polenta. If desired, garnish with crumbled cheese.

Serves 6

Polenta

Ingredients:

3 cups milk
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan bring milk just to a simmer over medium heat.

2. In a medium bowl combine cornmeal, water, and salt.

3. Stir cornmeal mixture slowly into hot milk. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until mixture is very thick, stirring occasionally. (If mixture is too thick, stir in additional milk.) Stir in butter until melted.

Recipes from Better Homes And Gardens

I’m always checking the Odd Box Records website, because they have some really good bands on the label.

Like Citizen Yelps.

I can’t find much out there about Citizen Yelps other than they consist of Shaun A. on guitar, singer Ged on bass and Valentina on drums. And they are from Leeds.

I do know that what I hear is ace. Isn’t this song great? I’m not exactly sure what on earth the singer is saying, but it has got to be good. The guitar says so.

Check out Citizen Yelps on Bandcamp , where you can buy their music on an Oddbox compilation.

Cheers!