Tender beef short ribs braised in a spicy Italian tomato sauce. Serve with your favorite pasta.

Braised Short Ribs in Tomatoes

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
4 1/2 pounds beef short ribs
1/2 cup olive oil
1 onion, minced
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed Italian tomatoes
1 cup water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon crushed dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1. Combine the flour, salt, white pepper, and cayenne on a large platter. Dip the short ribs in the mixture to coat lightly on all sides. Remove excess flour by patting the ribs briskly with your hands; set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy stockpot over medium-high heat. Brown the ribs on all sides, in batches if necessary, and transfer to a platter. Pour off and discard about half of the fat in the pan. Reduce the heat to low, add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic; cook until nearly golden, about 10 minutes. Occasionally scrape and stir the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits of meat.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, water, tomato paste, oregano, bay leaf, salt pepper and red pepper flakes. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring the sauce to a boil. Add the browned ribs, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, about 3 hours. Check the pot and stir occasionally to prevent scorching.
4. When done, the meat should fall off the bone when gently scraped with a wooden spoon or fork. Before serving, lift the meat out with a slotted spoon or tongs and place on a platter. With a ladle, skim off and discard any fat that has risen to the top. Remove the bay leaf. Spoon the remaining sauce over the meat and serve over a bed of pasta such as penne.

Makes 8 servings.