My cousin Vinutha and her husband Scott were in New York City recently celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary. Because they live in California, we don’t get to see them often, so we couldn’t wait to catch up. I wanted to make a special dinner at home in Harlem, something wintery and cozy. When it’s cold and icy outside, I love slow-braised meat that is falling off the bone. Whether it’s done in a restaurant or in a home crock pot, dishes like osso bucco, braised lamb shanks, and slow cooked short ribs are the heartiest, especially when there is any kind of red wine reduction involved. There is something about the rich, complex layers of well-developed flavors that defines what I love about the art and science of cooking. A great recipe with high-quality ingredients is like a great novel with excellent character development. I remembered a recipe for Indian-spiced short ribs I had made in my slow cooker years ago, and how much we loved it. Definitely a good choice for a special dinner. It’s courtesy of the supremely talented Chef Michael Voltaggio, who won Top Chef’s Season 6 in 2009. My menu was coming together. I would make my version of his Indian-spiced short ribs along with creamy garlic mashed potatoes.

Keeping a few key spices in your pantry can go a long way to making a variety of both classically Indian and non-Indian dishes

Chef Michael makes a deeply aromatic Indian spice blend that takes slow-cooked short ribs to a new level. Whole coriander and cumin seeds are first dry roasted and then ground, after which other whole spices like black peppercorn and whole cloves are added and ground spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom follow suit, blending into a fine powder. Consider it the ultimate spice rub. It’s smoky, earthy, and sweet, all at the same time. Ok, big disclaimer here: if you can’t make the spice blend for some reason, you can substitute it with 3 tablespoons of store-bought garam masala; but please do this only if you’re in a pinch, because making the spice mix is worth the effort. So, all said, do these short ribs end up tasting Indian? Well, sort of, but not really. Cooked down with a robust red wine reduction, like most short-ribs, these are decadent, but because of the aromatic sprinkling of Indian goodness over 8 hours, the depth of flavor is far superior. These are earthier and smokier than any other short ribs I’ve ever had. Garlicky mashed potatoes are the ideal complement, bringing a smooth, creamy sweetness to the dish that pairs perfectly with the velvety sauce and slow-braised carrots.

Harlem Shambles is our local butcher and, well, excellent.

I dug up the recipe, made a few small changes, and picked up 3 pounds of bone-in short ribs from our local butcher, Harlem Shambles. Started by two young brothers, Harlem Shambles is a neighborhood gem, describing itself as “a boutique butcher shop serving locally sourced beef, lamb, pork and poultry. We work with a handful of New York farms.” At $27 for 3 pounds of high-quality locally sourced bone-in short ribs, it was an incredible way to fete 4 people to an elegant dinner — at less than $7 per person, no restaurant can beat the price.

Once back at home, I got to work. I divided my time into 4 steps:

1. Make the Indian spice blend

2. Sear off the short ribs

3. Prepare all the other ingredients

4. Make the red wine reduction 

I knew I would have to concentrate on preparation and technique for these steps (you can’t rush things like a red wine reduction) but that once everything was in the slow cooker, I could get out of the kitchen. The real magic would unfold on low heat for 8 hours as the short ribs gently bubbled and simmered for most of the day. If you’re a regular follower of Big Apple Curry, you already know how much I love the slow cooker and what I call excellent, guest-worthy slow cooker recipes especially if you’re hosting a dinner party at home.

Tip for hosting a dinner party at home: try to set your table as early as possible so you aren’t rushing to do it minutes before guests arrive

After I completed all 4 steps and turned on the slower cooker, I made the garlic mashed potatoes and let them sit on the stovetop at room temperature until reheating them for dinner. I cleaned everything up, loaded the dishwasher, and went about my day. All while the slow cooker hummed away on the counter. I adore the idea of a masterpiece dinner that’s ready to be served when guests arrive. Otherwise, it’s easy to get stuck in the kitchen, not spend much time with your guests, and just as you can finally sit down, you’re suddenly bidding them goodnight. As soon as Vinutha and Scott arrived on our doorstep, I knew it was going to be a wonderful evening. And it was. The next time you want to make a special dinner, make this. It’s absolutely foolproof.

Indian-Spiced Short Ribs (adapted)

Serves 4

Ingredients

Spice mix

• 1/4 cup coriander seeds
• 2 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 3 bay leaves, crumbled

Short-ribs & red wine reduction

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 3 lbs bone-in short ribs
• Salt
• 8 medium carrots, washed well with skin-on, chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1 cup broth (beef, chicken, or vegetable)
• 2 medium onions, quartered
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cups red wine (I used Zinfandel, make sure it’s a big, bold red wine)

Preparation (step-by-step photos below)

1. Make the spice mix first by combining the cumin and coriander seeds in a small skillet or frying pan on a low-medium flame and slowly heat them. Stirring them occasionally with a wooden spoon, after about 5 minutes you will begin to smell the aromas and the mixture will become slightly roasted. Remove from heat and place in spice grinder to cool down. Assemble all the other spices and set aside.
2. In an extra-wide non-stick skillet, heat oil over high heat. Sprinkle salt over the ribs and sear and cook over high heat until browned and crusty on all sides, about 15 minutes. While this is searing off, prepare your carrots, onions, and garlic.
3. After 15 minutes, generously coat your slow cooker insert with cooking spray and using tongs, transfer the short ribs to the slow cooker. Add carrots, thyme, and broth to the ribs.
4. Add onions to the same skillet; cook and stir over medium heat for 8-9 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and tomato paste; cook and stir 1 minute longer. Stir in red wine. Bring to a boil; cook 8-10 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Add to slow cooker.
5. Add all the remaining spices to your grinder and blend to a fine powder. Evenly sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the spice mix over the ribs and red wine reduction. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix the top half together.
6. Cook covered on LOW for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender.
7. Serve short ribs with some of the sauce spooned over.

Recipe adapted from Indian-spiced Short Ribs and Slow Cooker Short Ribs

Dry roast whole coriander seeds and cumin seeds, which means on low heat with no oil or liquid of any kind — this process releases the oils from the spices, unleashing incredible flavor and aroma

Add the roasted spices to the spice grinder to cool down a bit before adding additional whole spices, ground spices, and crumbled bay leaves. While these cool down, assemble the other spices and get cracking on the short ribs.

Left bowl: black peppercorns and whole cloves. Right bowl starting clockwise from the bottom: cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cardamom, bay leaves, crushed red chilli pepper.

All I can say is Harlem Shambles rocks. Just look at these short ribs.

To get a good sear on all sides, you will need to keep turning them on high heat for 15 min –this is how they should look about half way through.

Now your coriander and cumin seeds should be cool, so grind away, it should look like this after a couple of pulses.

Add the remaining whole and ground spices and bay leaves.

Ta da! Your very own homemade Indian spice mix. It may not look like much, but it is the most aromatic thing you will ever smell in your kitchen!

After 15 min on high heat, your short ribs should look like this. Spray your slow cooker insert and then using a pair of tongs, carefully transfer the short ribs into the slow cooker.

Wait! Don’t put this skillet into your sink like I almost did. You will cook the onion, garlic and red wine in the residual oil leftover from the ribs, which is packed with tremendous flavor.

Rough chop your onion, it can be in large pieces like this. Cook until they’re golden and glass, about 8-9 minutes.

While you don’t have to crazy and buy an expensive bottle of red wine, be sure to use something good, with robust flavor — wine you wouldn’t mind drinking, basically. I used this Zinfandel and it was perfect.

After adding the garlic to the onions, add the red wine and reduce it by half.

While the red wine is reducing away, add carrots, thyme, and stock to the ribs in the slow cooker.

After reducing it by half your red wine-onion-garlic mixture should look like this.

Pour it all over the short ribs.

Now for the main event: sprinkle 3 tablespoons of your homemade Indian spice mixtures all over it. Mix the top half gently with a wooden spoon. Turn the slow cooker to 8 hours on LOW. Let the magic begin.