Instructions: TOMORROW Im going to serve cheap leftovers. Itll be a fancy dinner party - the first time I break out a tablecloth in my new house. Mom would approve. She was the queen of leftovers.

I started on these leftovers long ago. Thats the beauty of braising. I knew I was going to be short on time ahead of the game, so I picked up some short ribs last week - for braising. No need to study too hard for this one. Braising is just a combination of searing and simmering - techniques weve pretty well covered.

Lamb shanks have been the No. 1 braising meat in restaurants for a long time.

But recently, beef short ribs have one-upped the shank. So Im going to show you the dish that is setting the new standard for braising.

I already marinated - tossing the ribs in a salty brine before I went back East last week for my James Beard Foundation dinner. The day I returned, I patted the ribs dry and then, yesterday, had my roommate grill them off while I was at the restaurant (see Brine & Sear inside for detailed instructions).

Now its Sunday and Im going to braise - letting the ribs burble away for a few hours while I watch "Swordfish" with my roomie on video. By the time the credits run, my ribs should be gooey-gorgeous. For my first housewarming party, I want comfort food. Thats what I love about short ribs; they are hearty yet light enough for spring. And theyre easy. Ive got to work all day tomorrow, but I wont be stressed out come dinnertime. Ill open a bottle of wine, heat and serve.

Short ribs used to be thought of as a meat byproduct but now theyre stars - even in white-tablecloth restaurants. Thats because cheaper cuts of meat such as short ribs and shanks have better flavor than filet mignon and lamb racks. and braising makes them fall-off-the-bone tender. Braising works magic. And short ribs dont take much money or work.

Since Ive got to cook up these ribs tonight, I didnt want to go to a lot of trouble for Sunday night dinner. While I was picking up some braising veggies and baby carrots at Whole Foods, I bought some makings for an easy Greek salad: a slew of tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, feta cheese and baby spinach from the salad bar. I also bought a loaf of crusty bread and a ready-roasted chicken.

Dinner tonight will be a snap.

But first, tomorrow. I get a big ol roasting pan on the stove and pull out my grilled short ribs. I chop up my braising veggies - a couple of carrots, four stalks of celery and one big fat onion - into nice medium chunks. This is called a mirepoix, and I like using veggies that are peeled, cleaned and sweet enough to eat raw.

I turn the heat up high over both burners, pour in some olive oil, and add my mirepoix to the near-smoking oil. It sizzles big-time. I turn the heat down to medium and let the veggies caramelize, stirring them once in a while so they dont burn. I could cook it for just 10 minutes, but the more color the better.

Thirty minutes is more like it. Besides, Ive got bills to pay and plants to water. Im just kind of puttering until I get a deep-dark caramelization going.

The veggies are nice and brown, almost sticky. This will make a rich braising liquid. I need some tomato product - thats what chefs call anything tomato: paste, sauce, chopped-up tomatoes. Whatever.

Ive got a couple of vine-ripened tomatoes that are kind of overripe. I cut out the stems, chop them up and add them to my cooked veggies. I turn up the heat and stir continuously until all the moisture is gone. Now Ive got a big brown mess.

Time for wine. Ive got a bunch of Lamborn Family Vineyard zinfandel left over from my James Beard dinner. It went great with the lamb chops, and its perfect for short ribs. It has so much fruit.

I pour in enough vino to come up about halfway on the veggies and start scraping up that fond with a flat-edged wooden spoon. It takes a few minutes to get syrupy, so I give my girlfriend a call while I watch the mess turn purply - sweet steam wetting my face.

I hang up, turn the oven to 250 degrees and turn off the burners. I toss in my short ribs and stir it all about so the meat is well coated with the goo.

Ive got real veal stock that I took from the restaurant, but - really - tinned beef broth works fine as long as its low-sodium. The meat and bones and caramelized veggies will give it loads of flavor.

I put in enough to come up about two-thirds the way on the fat short ribs, which Ive spread out in a single layer. Then I break out two long sheets of aluminum foil and, using a kitchen towel to protect my hands from the still-hot pan, I crimp the foil tight around the lip. Its sealed along the edges and overlapped in the middle so the steam can escape, but slowly.

I crank the heat back up to high and, when the steam starts to rise, I carefully transfer the roasting pan to my hot oven.

Time for dinner and a movie. I shred some chicken meat and toss it together with my salad veggies, olive oil and lemon. I slice some bread and crack open a bottle of Honig sauvignon blanc.

Three hours later, dinner and "Swordfish" are done. Time to peek at the ribs. I undo a corner of the foil and carefully let all the steam escape. I stab a rib with a fork to see if its pulling away from the bone. Its getting tender. Its fork tender. But not fall-off-the-bone tender. I cover it back up and push the ribs back in.

I get in my jammies, floss and brush. Now the ribs are gorgeous. Gooey and gorgeous. This will be a little challenging in my jammies, but Im a chef. Ill keep it clean.

I pull out the pan and undo the foil. I carefully transfer my ribs to a cookie sheet and pour all the pan juices through a strainer that Ive set in a sink over a plastic container and toss out the veggies.

I chill out while the ribs and stock cool down. I check my e-mails and surf around a bit. Forty-five minutes later - its time to put my goodies in the fridge and myself to bed.

I started "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" the day I bought the ribs and now Im up to page 700 - almost done. But my bedroom is filled with the aroma of long-simmering beef, and I just cant focus. I turn off the light and close my eyes, but my chef-brain has other ideas.

The next day, I pull out my stock and skim off the fat. I put my ribs in a big saute pan and pour in enough stock to just cover them. I put the rest of the stock in a tall-sided saucepan. I turn both pans on high and let them come to a steady simmer. I turn off the ribs after a couple minutes, but I let the stock in the sauce pan reduce slowly for 30 minutes - until it reaches that coat-the-back-of-a-spoon thickness. I use it this time to make some polenta, ready a green salad and peel and blanch my baby carrots.

My guests arrive. I reheat my ribs, simmering slowly until they are steaming hot. I add the blanched carrots to my rich jus, bring it to a simmer and check it for salt and pepper. I whisk in a chunk of cold butter. Its a little thick, so I hit it with a shot of Lamborn.

I toss the salad, put out four warm shallow soup bowls and put a pool of hot, creamy polenta in each. On go the gooey short ribs, topped with ladles of buttery jus. A couple of delicate sprigs of lemon thyme. The heat from the bowl brings forth the herbs sweet scent of spring.

Damn good leftovers.

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