Comfort food for Valentine's Day

Is it cold where you are?

If you are reading this in the Northern Hemisphere, chances are excellent that the long winter is getting you down.  I don't think that it is a coincidence that Valentine's Day is celebrated at this time of year when we all need a lift.  For reasons that surely must link back to our hindbrains, here in the second half of winter comfort food really does bring, ummm, comfort.  Tho I have posted precious few recipes here, this is one I think you really must have.  And I am breaking with custom here by posting this on Sunday, to give you time to do the shopping and be ready for Monday.

Now imagine: your boat quietly at anchor in a protected little cove, a romantic candle-lit dinner of braised short ribs slow-cooked in wine, a baguette, a (another) bottle of wine, gazing into the eyes of your lover across the table.  Wherever you are when you consume this recipe, it will make the evening.  It is that wonderful.

Two cooking methods are provided - the crock pot version is probably the most practical on a boat and is the one Jane used.  But if you are an adherent to the Church of Pressure Cooker, I think that would work equally well.

Just in case the link disappears over time, I am duplicating the recipe below:

---

Red Wine-and-Apricot Braised Short Ribs

From Country Living

This recipe has been tested by Country Living

Minimal preparation and long, slow cooking turns these short ribs into a falling-apart tender masterpiece.

By Cheryl Slocum

Nutritional Information
(per serving)

Calories	625
Total Fat	19g
Saturated Fat	--
Cholesterol	95mg
Sodium	344mg
Total Carbohydrate	49g
Dietary Fiber	5g
Sugars	--
Protein	34g
Calcium	--

Aimee Herring

Serves: 4

Update

Cancel

Total Time: 3 hr 30 min

Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 pound(s) short ribs
• 4 clove(s) garlic, chopped
• 3 cup(s) dry red wine (such as Syrah)
• 3 tablespoon(s) coarse-grain Dijon mustard
• 2 cup(s) (11 ounces) dried apricots
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper

---

Directions

1. Season short ribs with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown ribs in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.  [Ed. Note: If you are on a boat, you probably don't have a large dutch oven - use a frying pan.]
2. Add garlic to pot and cook over medium heat until browned, about 2 minutes. Add wine and mustard and stir, scraping up browned bits from bottom of the pan. Add apricots and reserved ribs and increase heat to high, bringing liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot, and simmer until ribs are so tender that meat falls off the bone, about 3 hours. Skim excess fat from braising sauce. (Alternatively, after step 1, add browned ribs and all other ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low, following manufacturer's instructions, until ribs are so tender that meat falls off the bone, about 8 hours.) Serve meat and apricots in a shallow bowl with braising sauce.

Feed your soul: you really gotta try this one.

Comfort food for Valentine's Day