Behold the braised beef short rib from Bowood by Niche

This article appears in the December 2022 print issue of SLM under the title, “A Good Ribbing.”

By December, culinary thoughts tend to migrate from turkey and cranberries to heavier, heartier, slow-cooked stews and roasts. Braised beef short ribs, as served at Bowood by Niche—what Grandma would have called “stick-to-your-ribs food”—are spot-on. Niche Food Group culinary director Justin McMillen had a hand in the creation of this simple-yet-memorable dish. The bone-in, Black Angus short rib receives a braise in enriched veal stock, along with red wine, aromatic herbs, and caramelized vegetables. “The look and smell screams wintertime comfort,” says McMillen, “which we drive home by topping the rib with some steaming braising liquid.” Riding sidesaddle is golden-yellow corn polenta from Janie’s Mill, which is made more luscious with chicken stock and cream. Atop the polenta is a salad composed of Castelvetrano olives, chopped parsley, sweet and tangy white raisins, bits of segmented fresh lemon, and charred radicchio that imparts an unexpected sweetness to the otherwise bitter leaf. “When you’re indulged in all that beef,” says McMillen, “that salad acts like a palate cleanser.”