Smothered Beef Short Ribs

    1/2 cup olive oil
    4 pounds beef short ribs
    salt and pepper to taste
    1 cup all-purpose flour
    2 cups chopped onions
    1 cup chopped celery
    1 cup chopped carrots
    2 tablespoons minced garlic
    3 bay leaves
    1 tablespoon dried thyme
    1 cup red wine
    8 cups beef stock
    1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Season the ribs
with salt and pepper to taste and dredge them in flour. Fry the ribs
in the oil in small batches, adding oil as needed, to sear the meat.
This should take 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Set ribs aside.

In the same pot, add the onions and saute for 2 minutes. Add the
celery and carrots and saute for 1 more minute. Season with salt and
pepper to taste, and then stir in the garlic, bay leaves and thyme
and cook for 1 more minute.

Deglaze the pot with the red wine, scraping up all the bits on the
bottom. Add the stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and
simmer. Add the ribs and continue to simmer for 2 hours, until the
sauce thickens. Stir in the parsley and serve.