Braised Moroccan-Style Short Ribs

I love cooking one-pot dishes whenever I can.  It's especially great for the weekends while I am cleaning up around the house or any other chores because once I put it together I can just forget about it. And when you finally come back into the kitchen or house, you're just surrounded by the amazing smells and warmth coming from the stove.  

I was at the local butcher and saw these beautiful short ribs and knew what I would be cooking that evening. Serve this easy, decadent dish over couscous.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

Salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 tbsp smoked paprika
4 pcs short rib
2 tbsp canola oil
1 small onion, quartered
4 cloves whole garlic, peeled
1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cinnamon stick
I bay leaf
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp all-spice
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 14.5 oz diced canned tomatoes
2 cups red wine, preferably Shiraz
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 apple quartered, preferably Gala or Pink Lady
1/4 cup dried apricots
1/4 cup raisins or currants
4 tbsp cilantro, roughly chopped

 DIRECTIONS

1. Put flour, paprika, salt and pepper in Ziploc bag and shake to mix. Place cleaned short ribs in the mixture and shake to coat. Remove ribs and shake ribs to remove excess flour.
2. In a braiser, heat oil to sizzling over medium-high heat and sear short ribs on all sides, approximately 3 minutes for each side. Remove ribs and put to side on a plate.
3. Turn stove down to medium heat, add onions, garlic and carrots to the same braiser until slightly brown. Add cinnamon, bay leaf, cumin, coriander seeds, and all-spice to the braiser.
4. Add tomatoes and cook together for a few minutes, stirring only to keep mixture from sticking to the bottom.
5. Increase heat to medium-high and add red wine. Bring to boil and then lower to medium-low and reduce mixture by half.
6. While waiting for the wine to reduce, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7. Add beef broth and bring to a boil. Then, add short ribs back to braiser.
8. Throw in apricots, raisins and apple. Put braiser into the oven with lid on and cook for 1 1/2-2 hours. You will know it is done when the meat pulls apart with a fork and the meat falls off the bone.
9. To serve, mound a small amount of couscous on a plate. Hollow the center and place one short rib on each plate. Top with sauce and fruit-onion mixture. Don't be stingy with the sauce!! Garnish with the cilantro if desired.