Short ribs braised in red wine, French style

this serves 4 people: short ribs (2 per person) flour 2 stalks celery, 2 carrots, 1 leek, 4 peeled and whole shallots 2 bay leaves, 2 stems of thyme, 6 sprigs of italian flat leaf parsley 6 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole salt and pepper to taste lots of red wine (1 bottle to be precise, yikes) 3 quarts beef stock olive oil 1. lightly dust the ribs with flour. now sear the short ribs in the olive oil and set the meat to one side. 2. in the same pan (dutch oven works well), fry up the vegetables, garlic, bay, thyme until lightly browned (around 7 mins). season to taste. 3. in a separate pan, bring the red wine to a boil - set it alight (hold a match above the fumes) and let the flames die naturally (this takes 2 or so mins). 4. back to the dutch oven and veggies - add the red wine, ribs and stock and bring to the boil. 5. put in centre rack of your oven (325 degs F) and leave to cook for 3hours. the meat will slide off the bone, and the sauce is less alcoholy than one might imagine! i served this with mashed potatoes. more than a little filling for a summer time supper but delicious all the same.