Irish Stout Short Ribs with Cheesy Polenta

Ingredients
- For the braised short ribs:
- 1-2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 4 large short ribs
- 2 onions, thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 500ml stout
- 2 tbsp treacle
- 1 litre good quality beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- For the cheesy polenta:
- 500ml milk
- 250ml chicken stock
- 2 sprigs thyme, leaves removed
- 250g fine polenta
- 50g butter
- 75g Cáis na Tíre
- Small handful parsley, finely chopped
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1
Heat a large heavy based casserole pan. Season the beef and brown the short ribs in batches, it’ll take 6-8 minutes.
2
Transfer to a plate. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened a little. Add the flour and stir to cook for another minute or so. Add in the stout and simmer for 5-6 minutes until reduced by half, scraping the bottom of the casserole with a wooden spoon to remove any brown bits. Return the beef to the pan with the treacle, stock and bay leaves. Cook for 1.5-2 hours until tender and the meat is almost falling off the bone. Discard the thyme and bay leaves.
3
When the short ribs have almost cooked, prepare the polenta. Add the milk, stock and thyme to a medium saucepan. Add the polenta slowly while stirring through to prevent clumping. Reduce the heat slightly and cook for 10-15 minutes until the polenta has absorbed all the liquid. Stir through the butter and two thirds of the cheese.
4
Serve the polenta in bowls. Top with the short ribs, spoon over the sauce and then sprinkle with the remaining cheese and parsley.