Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs Italian Style

• Press Sauté button to preheat the inner pot.  To the preheated pot, add olive oil.  Season short ribs with salt and pepper.  Add to the pot and brown on all sides.   Do not overcrowd the pan, you want to allow for browning and not steam the ribs.  May need to do this in a couple of batches.  Transfer to a plate.
• Add onion and garlic to the pot and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until garlic is fragrant. Add carrots and celery, cook 2 minutes.  Add tomato paste to the pot and cook an additional 5-6 minutes to roast vegetables in the paste.  Add beef stock and vinegar to the vegetables and cook 1-2 minutes scraping up any brown bits off the bottom of the pot.  Add the crushed tomatoes and stewed tomatoes along with the fennel, basil and oregano.  Stir to combine.  Add ribs and any juices from the plate to the pot.
• Place lid on and set valve to Sealing.  Press the Manual button and make sure pressure is set to High, adjust time to 35 minutes.  Pot will come to pressure and start counting down once it has reach pressure.  After 35 minutes are done, let the pot naturally release the pressure (NPR) for 20 minutes.then turn valve to Release and finish releasing any remaining pressure.  Once all of the pressure is released, you can open the lid and check ribs for desired tenderness.
• Remove ribs, vegetables and some of the sauce to a shallow serving dish.

• Fill a large pot about half way with water and set to Medium High. Add potatoes, garlic, salt and pepper. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat and cook until potatoes become fork tender. Pour potatoes into a colander to drain.
• Transfer potatoes to a large mixing bowl add the butter, sour cream, and heavy cream. With a potato masher, mash potatoes and mix to combine ingredients. To the potatoes, add Parmesan and stir. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm.

Oven Braising Method for Short Ribs:

• Preheat oven to 350o F. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven. Season ribs with salt and pepper. Brown meat on all sides in the oil; then transfer to a plate
• Add the onion and garlic to Dutch oven and lightly brown. Add the carrots and celery; stir to combine. Cook until onions are translucent. Add tomato paste to the vegetables and cook for 3-5 minutes to brown the paste. Place the meat back into the Dutch oven along with any juices that have accumulated in the plate
• Add the beef stock and balsamic vinegar and cook for several minutes to reduce the liquid, stirring occasionally. Add fennel, basil, oregano, crushed and stewed tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then cover
• Place Dutch oven in the oven and cook about 1 ½ to 2 hours; checking about halfway through to make sure there is liquid about ½ way up the pot and check meat for fork tenderness.
• Remove from oven and garnish with parsley. Serve with Garlic & Parmesan Mashed Potatoes (recipe above)