Heat the olive oil and butter together in a pan over medium high heat. Brown the short rib on each side until well browned – be sure to not crowd the pan as the meat will not brown properly and steam; rather opt to do the meat in batches. Season with salt and pepper and place in a deep set baking tray.
Place the vegetables and whole spices in the baking tray.
Mix together the liquids, tomato puree, and brown sugar together and pour into the baking tray. Cover tightly with tin foil (if you do have a dish with a secure fitting lid, use that) and place in a preheated oven of 170C for approximately 2 hours or until very tender.
Once cooked, remove from the oven and prepare the slaw: use a peeler to shave long ribbons of fennel bulb and place in a water bath with lots of lemon juice.
Cut the pear into matchsticks and add to the water bath.
Mix the buttermilk, olive oil and onion seeds together and season with salt and pepper. Serve the dressing on the side or drizzle over the slaw.
