Okay, braised short ribs...
First, make 1/2 a recipe of this tomato sauce:
Basic Tomato Sauce Recipe : Mario Batali : Food Network
Use Muir Glenn organic whole peeled tomatoes, fresh thyme. You should have 3 cups when reduced properly.
6 Tbsn Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 lbs beef short ribs, meaty, well marbeled
2 spanish onions, diced fine
1 medium carrot, shredded
2 ribs celery, diced fine
4 ounces pancetta, 1/4" dice
3 cups red wine
3 cups tomato sauce
Trim excess fat from the ribs. Pat dry and season with salt and pepper. Brown thoroughly on all sides in the olive oil. Don't crowd the pan, don't use a pan bigger than needed. Something with a heavy bottom is good. Don't use so much heat that you burn the fond. Do it in batches, if needed. Remove the short ribs, drain any excess fat and saute the pancetta. When cooked, add the veggies and saute them until soft. Add wine and tomato sauce, then bring to a boil and add the meat back. Bury the meat down into the liquid. Braise at a gentle simmer, covered, for 2 hours. Turn the meat over occasionally.
When done, remove the meat, strain the braising liquid through a fine chinoise. Defat the liquid in a fat separator. Put it into a clean pot and reduce until thick and rich. Adjust the seasoning.
While the liquid is reducing, trim any excess fat from the meat. Remove the bones and any connective tissue. Re-season the meat with salt and pepper. Keep warm, covered in a low oven.
Serve with mashed potatoes. See my comments in the posts above, about those. The sauce goes over the top of the short ribs. You'll want enough for the potatoes, too. If you want, you can add a little butter, off heat, to the sauce and swirl it vigorously to emulsify it and create a richer flavor. It adds to the sheen of the sauce, too.
Use a pretty decent wine. Italians would use a Barolo, if they were feeling generous. I use a reasonably-priced Bordeaux.
JR