Season the beef with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour. Discard leftover flour.

Place the thyme, bay leaves, orange, allspice, peppercorns, and cloves in a 6” piece of cheesecloth. Tie with twine to form a sachet.

Heat a 12” sautoir or sauce pot over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the oil and immediately place the short ribs in the pan, fat side down. Brown the short ribs all over, but do not worry about cooking them through. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Pour off all but 1 ounce of the accumulated fat. Place the pan over medium heat and add the mushrooms. Sauté until slightly golden, but keep an eye on the fond (pan drippings) to make sure it does not burn. Add the onions and sauté over medium heat until translucent. Add the carrots, and celery. Cook for 4 minutes. Add the garlic cook til aromatic. Add the tomato paste and sauté over low heat until it is slightly browned. Add the wine and reduce by ½. Add the veal stock and bring to a simmer.

Place the browned short ribs in the sauce; they should be almost covered in sauce. Bring to a low simmer and cover tightly. Place in a 350 °F oven. Let cook for 2 – 2 ½ hours, turning every 30 minutes until fork tender.

Remove the pan from the oven and skim off the excess fat that has accumulated on top. Remove the meat from the pan, place on a platter. Strain the liquid, taste. If the sauce is too thin and weak in flavor, move to a sauce pot and reduce over medium heat until rich and flavorful. Adjust the seasonings. Add fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon. Re-warm in the short ribs in the sauce.

To serve: place short ribs on a plate, spoon sauce on top and enjoy. Try this with parsnip mashed potatoes and sautéed chard

Sit down, have a glass of wine, relax and enjoy!