For the ninth straight year, October is Dining Month on OnMilwaukee, presented by the restaurants of Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. All month, we're stuffed with restaurant reviews, dining guides, delectable features, chef profiles and unique articles on everything food, as well as voting for your "Best of Dining 2015."

This recipe by was submitted by Nick Berg as an entry to the Dine In & Win Big Contest brought to you by our partners at Steinhafels.

Vote for your favorite recipe Oct. 29-Nov. 5, 2015.  The winner will receive a special grand prize package including a $3,000 gift card good towards any purchase of dining room furniture, as well as a meal for four – cooked in your home – by "MasterChef" contestant Katrina Kozar. All food for the dinner will be provided by Sendik's Food Market, your trusted, local grocer.

Short Rib Ragu

Ingredients:
3.5-4 lbs bone-in short ribs (any style, but I prefer flanken)
oil, olive or vegetable
1 T butter
1 onion, peeled & diced
8 garlic cloves, peeled & chopped
3 carrots, peeled & diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 T tomato paste
1 tsp anchovy paste (optional, but it leaves marvelous flavor)
1 T all-purpose flour
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, with juice
¼ cup ruby port or vermouth (if you don't have either of those, use brandy)
 cups red wine

2 cups beef stock
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 sprigs of fresh parsley
salt & freshly-cracked pepper

Parmigiano-Reggiano Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients: 

4-5 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled & chopped
4 T butter
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (Parmesan will work just fine)
salt & freshly-cracked pepper
fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.

Remove the ribs and the cream from the refrigerator and allow to sit out for about an hour before cooking. Rinse the ribs and pat them dry with paper towel (this is essential for a good sear). Season with a healthy sprinkle of salt and pepper. Dump the can of tomatoes (and juice) into a bowl and crush them up with your hands.

Heat a good splash (about two tablespoons or so) of oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the butter and allow to melt. Working in batches (don't crowd the pan!), add the ribs and brown on all sides until the outside is nicely caramelized. Remove ribs and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium and add diced onion. Using a wooden spoon to stir, cook onions until translucent and just slightly browned – about 8 minutes. Add carrots and celery and cook until soft – about 8 more minutes. Add garlic and cook until soft and fragrant – about 3 minutes. Don’t worry about the pan going brown – we want those lovely brown bits for later – but watch your heat as you don't want anything to burn.

Add tomato paste and stir until vegetables are coated. Stir in anchovy paste and cook for about a minute more. (Don’t let anchovy paste frighten you – while the name might suggest fishy flavor, it offers anything but. It melts into a rich and complex flavor that will enhance nearly any dish. I urge you to try it.) Sprinkle in the flour, stirring to coat, and cook a minute more.

Deglaze the pan by adding the port/vermouth and scraping up all of those beautiful browned bits. Add the red wine and tomatoes. Return the ribs to the pot. Add beef stock until meat is submerged. Add bay leaf, thyme, parsley, and a good dash of salt and pepper (about a teaspoon each). Increase heat and bring the pot to bubbling simmer (but not a boil), cover, and transfer to the oven. Allow to cook 2 ½-3 hours, or until the meat is fork tender.

Remove pot from the oven and return to stove top. Remove ribs and set aside. Strain the liquid and discard the solids. Shred ribs and return everything to the pot. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until thickened and reduced – about 30 minutes. Season to taste.

While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until fork tender – about 20 minutes. Drain. Add the butter and mash the potatoes. Add cream and cheese, stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle ragu over potatoes and garnish with some chopped parsley. Serve with a hearty red wine or a cold Riverwest Stein.