Short Ribs Braised with Citrus

Step 1: Place a tablespoon each of the oil and butter in a deep heavy skillet or casserole and turn the heat to high. Brown the ribs well on all sides, seasoning well with the salt and pepper as they cook; this will take about 20 minutes. Remove the ribs, pour out and discard the fat, and wipe out the pan.

Step 2: Meanwhile, use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest and squeeze the juice from 2 each of the oranges, lemons, and limes.

Step 3: Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F. Put the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and another tablespoon of butter in the pan, turn the heat to medium-high, and add the onion, carrot, celery, the orange, lemon, and lime zest, the coriander, garlic, a large pinch of salt, and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes.

Step 4: Add the white wine, orange, lemon, and lime juice, thyme, parsley stems, and bay leaf to the pan and bring to a boil; add the ribs, cover, and put in the oven. Cook until the meat is very tender and falling from the bone, about 3 hours; turn the meat once or twice an hour.

Step 5: While the ribs are cooking, remove the central core from the cabbage, then separate the leaves and cut them into 3 - 4 pieces each. Cook them in boiling salted water until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, then plunge into ice water to stop the cook; drain again and set aside. Remove the zest from the remaining fruit with a zester and mince. Cut each fruit in half and section as you would a grapefruit, removing any seeds; do this over a bowl so you cat all the juices.

Step 6: Transfer the ribs to a platter. Strain the vegetables and liquid, pressing hard on the vegetables to extract all their juices, into another large pan and refrigerate or reheat. Bring to a boil and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter; whisk until slightly thickened, then add the ribs, citrus sections, and cabbage. Heat the ribs through, adjust the seasoning as necessary, and serve, garnished with the citrus zest and cilantro.