Recipe Instructions:
1 pound boneless short ribs, cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Olive oil, to coat
1 onion, chopped
3 tablespoons berbere spice
16 ounces canned tomato sauce
Heat the oven to 350°F. Season the beef with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot with a lid, coat the bottom with oil and heat over medium-high heat. Brown the beef on two sides, in batches so as not to crowd the pan. Transfer the beef to a bowl, but don’t wash out the pot. Reduce the heat to medium.
Add more olive oil if you don’t have much fat in the bottom of the pot. Add the onion, scraping up the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot, and sauté until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the berbere, give it a stir, and let cook until fragrant, just a minute.
Stir in the meat and its collected juices, the tomato sauce, a pinch of salt, and 2 cups of water, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, slide the covered pot into the oven and cook until the meat is tender and the stew is thick, about 1 1/2 hours.