Ancho-Chocolate Braised Short Ribs

Name: Ancho-Chocolate Braised Short Ribs
Yield: serves 6
Ingredients: 5 pounds 2-to 3-inch beef short ribs, on the bone (see Tip); 2 onions, quartered; 10 garlic cloves, smashed with the side of a knife; 1 bay leaf; 1 tablespoon black peppercorns; Salt; 2 tomatoes; 1 head garlic, wrapped in aluminum foil; 4 tablespoons olive oil; Freshly ground black pepper; 15 ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into pieces; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 2 teaspoons crumbled dried oregano; 2 ounces Ibarra chocolate (see page 117; 2/3 of a 3.1-ounce disk)

December 20, 2011

Chocolate and chiles have been paired up for centuries in Mexico. Ancho-infused hot chocolate was a drink reserved for royalty, believed to produce strength and virility. The combo is especially tasty with beefy short ribs. You can substitute bittersweet chocolate for the Mexican chocolate; just add a pinch each of sugar and cinnamon and a few drops of almond extract—the ingredients that make Mexican chocolate unique.

Recipe notes

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