California Short Ribs

Directions

1. Salt and pepper the ribs and brown them on all sides in a little olive oil in a large dutch oven.
2. When the ribs are browned on all sides, remove them from the pot. Pour off the fat in the pot, then add a little olive oil.
3. Add the vegetables and the thyme to the pot and saute' them until the onion becomes translucent and remove them from the pot.
4. Add the red wine and the vermouth to the pot and reduce by half.
5. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and bring to a boil.
6. Add the meat and vegetables back to the pot.
7. Add enough water to almost cover the shortribs.
8. Put the lid on the dutch oven and braise the shortribs in a 275 degree oven for about 3 hours or until very tender.
9. Remove from the oven; using a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the pot and set aside.
10. Remove the vegetables and thyme and press to extract all the juice that you can. Discard the vegetables.
11. Heat the sauce and add the chocolate, orange juice, orange zest and reduce until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. It will probably be thick enough without much reducing.
12. Return the meat back to the pot and reheat.
13. Serve with sauce poured over the meat and garnish with orange zest.