Fall favorite: Pinot noir-braised beef short ribs

To make the brine, add all ingredients to a large sauce pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, let cool then add ice to cool completely. Place ribs in a zip-lock bag and cover short ribs with the brine and refrigerate 4-6 hours.

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. Remove short ribs from brine and pat dry, making sure they are dry as possible, then season heavily with salt and pepper. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat or until the point of almost smoking. Add ½ cup corn oil; when it begins to smoke, add short ribs and brown them on all sides (about 2-3 minutes on each side, make sure to reach a rich dark color). Take meat out of pan and set in a deep baking dish and set on the side.

Heat pan back to medium-high heat and add another ½ cup corn oil, cipollini onions, carrots, leeks to your large sauté pan and sauté them till lightly caramelized, then add sundried tomatoes and thyme. Make sure the whole time to lightly scrape the bottom of the pan to get all those delicious good meat bites off the bottom. Add pinot noir to vegetables in the pan and simmer until reduced by half.

Add stock, Tabasco, and bring to a boil, then pour vegetable-wine mixture over short ribs. Bring short ribs to a boil on top of stove, cover with foil and bake for at least 3-4 hours or  until they are fork-tender.

Place mayonnaise, mustard, anchovies, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco into a bowl. Mix and whisk ingredients well.

Slowly add olive oil until fully incorporated, then fold in Parmesan and continue to mix until everything is nice and mixed. Finish with ground pepper and salt if needed.

Toss 5 or 6 whole romaine leaves in a metal bowl with 2-3 tablespoons of dressing, season with salt and pepper. Place greens on a plate and garnish with fried capers, buttered croutons and shaved Parmesan cheese.