Slow-Cooker Short Ribs With Rosemary Potatoes

This recipe is from Real Simple.

Ingredients -
½ cup low-sodium beef broth
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons plus 1¼ tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper, plus more for serving
2 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
12-oz. pkg. frozen pearl onions
3 medium carrots
1½ pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes
2 rosemary sprigs

Method -
Stir together broth, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add short ribs, onions, carrots; nest ribs into vegetables. Cover and cook on high until meat is very tender, 5 to 6 hours. Reduce to warm and remove the lid.

Meanwhile, place potatoes, rosemary, and 2 tablespoons salt in a stockpot; add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are very tender about 15 
minutes. Remove from heat. Remove 
rosemary, then drain.

Reserving cooking liquid, remove short ribs and vegetables from the slow cooker. Skim fat from liquid, then transfer to
 a blender; add remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. With center piece of blender lid removed, secure lid on blender. Place
 a clean dish towel over lid opening. 
Puree on medium-high until smooth.

Serve potatoes and short ribs with
 vegetables and sauce.

Happy New Years And Making Stock

Is 2016 finally over? I decided to end the year by getting ready for next year. I ordered 2 fowls from Ferraro'ss Market. I made two pots of Chicken Stock, using my sister's recipe. I ended up with 32 cups of stock in the freezer. Bring on 2017!

Our New Year's dinner was a slow cooker recipe. Yeah one of us had some work to do today so a hands-off recipe was required. Wine-Braised Short Ribs with Pasta from Bon Appetit. I had this idea of making pasta but when I was at the store I remembered the reason why I opted for a slow cooker meal.  When I got home I asked Chris to pick the pasta he wanted. Thankfully he picked the Rigatoni!

Happy New Years!

Grilled Boneless Short Ribs

So I don't post every day. I post when I have the time and when a dinner strikes me as something that should be shared. Tonight, for example, needs to be shared.

Grilled Boneless Short Ribs are my new favorite grilled meat. Boneless ribs, seasoned with salt and pepper. That's all there was to it. Chris cooked them to the perfect temperature. It did not feel like I was faced with an oversized steak. Don't get me wrong, I do like those oversized steaks, but this was just a delicious cut of meat. And we will have this again.

For a side dish, I fixed a Stacked Summer Vegetable Salad.  The recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens. Loved it but it needed more dressing. Note to self, next time double the dressing recipe!

Ingredients-
3 medium yellow or green zucchini

Kosher salt

4 medium carrots

1/2 small red onion

1 cups torn leaf lettuce

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons snipped fresh dil
l
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Method-
With a vegetable peeler or mandoline shave zucchini in thin strips. Salt lightly, then transfer to colander to drain, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, shave carrots in strips and thinly slice onion.

Rinse zucchini and drain in colander. To assemble salad, in a 2-quart square dish layer one-third each of zucchini, lettuce carrots, and onion.

For dressing, in a glass measuring cup whisk together lemon juice and oil. Drizzle some of the dressing on layered vegetables. Repeat layering and dressing twice. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or up to 12 hours before serving.

To serve, sprinkle salad with fresh dill and pepper. Cut salad in rectangles with a sharp knife; lift out with a spatula. 


Spicy Soy-Glazed Short Ribs

And we have another recipe for the Slow Cooker category. Spicy Soy-Glazed Short Ribs from Chef Liana Krissoff. 4 hours in the slow cooker set on high. The meat fell off the bone and there was a nice bit of heat in the sauce. It took a minute for it to strike but damn it was nice and hot.

Ingredients-
3½ pounds beef short ribs
2 bunches scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/3 cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup molasses
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup chili-garlic sauce (see Note)
¼ cup plum or hoisin sauce (optional)
Juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon toastedsesame oil
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Method-
Trim any excess fat off the ribs. In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, brown half of the ribs well on all sides, about 8 minutes total, then remove the ribs to a 4-quart slow cooker (they will fit better in an oval cooker); repeat with the remaining ribs. Pour ½ cup water into the skillet and scrape up all the browned bits in the bottom of the pan. Pour the liquid over the ribs in the cooker.

In a medium bowl, combine half of the scallions and all the remaining ingredients except the sesame seeds, stirring until the brown sugar is dissolved. Pour the mixture over the ribs. Cook, covered, on the low setting for 4 hours, or until the meat is very tender and almost falling off the bones.

In a small skillet over medium-high heat, toast the sesame seeds, shaking the skillet and stirring constantly, until they just begin to color. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Remove the ribs from the sauce and place on a large serving platter or on individual plates. Spoon a little of the sauce over the ribs and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and the remaining scallions. Serve.

The side dish, no it was not cauliflower. It was Roasted Radishes! 

And I am going to be a proud Godmother and send congratulations out to our God-Daughter, Elenora who finished her first year of ballet! And also her older sister Anna graduated from Grade School and is heading for High School next year! They are growing up really fast!

Short Rib Farrotto with Carrots and Parsnips

I like Farro. Chris likes Short Ribs. Perfect recipe. And how! Time intensive? Yes. But it was a rainy day so lets just say I got a lot of cooking done. This recipe is from Food & Wine. I had a $20 coupon for Robert's Food Center (Thank you Maureen!) Yesterday I did my shopping and there will be meat showing up alot.

The dinner, while not a quick fix, was a meal that is very filling. Spoiler alert- We will be having this again tomorrow night!

Of course I left out the garlic but the broth was something special. I had beef broth in the freezer for the last time I made short ribs. When I took it out of the freezer to thaw I knew this would be good!

Short Rib Farrotto with Carrots and Parsnips from Food & Wine-

Ingredients-
1 quart low-sodium beef broth
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds well-trimmed boneless grass-fed beef short ribs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Fine sea salt
Pepper
2 thyme sprigs, plus 1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme
2 garlic cloves, crushed
8 cipollini onions (3/4 pound), peeled and quartered
1 large carrot, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large parsnip, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups (9 ounces) unpearled farro
1 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving


Method-
In a medium saucepan, combine the beef broth with 1/2 cup of water and bring to a simmer over high heat. Remove from the heat, cover and keep warm.
   
In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Add half of the short ribs to the casserole, spreading the pieces out, and cook over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the browned meat to a plate. Repeat with the remaining short ribs.
   
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the casserole. Add the thyme sprigs, garlic, onions, carrot and parsnip and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the vegetables are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the farro and the browned short ribs. Add the wine and cook until evaporated, stirring and scraping the bottom of the casserole, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of the warm broth, cover partially and cook over moderately low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Repeat this process twice, adding 1 cup of warm broth each time and cooking for about 15 minutes between additions, stirring occasionally.
   
Increase the heat to high. Add the remaining 1 cup of warm broth, 1/2 cup at a time and stirring constantly, allowing it to be absorbed before adding more. Cook the farrotto until creamy and the farro is al dente, about 5 minutes longer. Remove the casserole from the heat and discard the thyme sprigs. Stir in the butter, chopped thyme and the 1/4 cup of grated Parmigiano. Season the farrotto with salt and pepper and serve hot, passing additional Parmigiano at the table.

The farrotto can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Gently reheat, adding broth or water as necessary.

And today I had an observer....

Bollito di Carne

I remember eating this soup as a child. When I saw the recipe on the Cooking with Nonna site I was very excited. Another soup I knew Chris would love. I made the soup on Saturday while I was up to my elbows in flour and butter. It could not be easier. Put everything in a pot and let it simmer.
Bollito di Carne, Meat Soup from Cooking With Nonna

Ingredients-
2 Lbs Beef short ribs
2 Whole large potatoes
4 Carrots
1 Large onion
5 Plum Tomatoes
3 Stalks of Celery
EV olive oil
Salt

Method-
Put in a pot 3 quarts of water and the meat.
Before the water comes to a boil, remove from the top all the brown particles floating on the water (This is very important as it removes some of the fat and leaves the soup clear!)
Add to the water, the potatoes, the celery, the onion and the tomatoes cut in small pieces.
Add 3 Tbs of EV olive oil.
Let the meat and all the vegetables cook for about 90 minutes. Check on the meat as you want it to come easily off the bones. I let it simmer for about 2 1/2 hours as I was busy with cookie dough and honestly forgot about it!

The Cooking with Nonna site recommends serving the soup with some spaghetti. We opted for Italian bread. Chris loved dinner. And it made enough for 2 nights!

Short Rib Stew

Mondays are not so bad when you have something like this for dinner. The recipe is from Food and Wine.  I did make some changes in the original recipe. Instead of boneless short ribs I used the short ribs with the bone, this helped make the stock as amazing as it was. The stock was so good that Chris suggested we make a soup from the leftovers. The meat was tender and 4 short ribs only cost $8.00. I did not have potatoes, I was sure I did and I did not use mushrooms. I had zucchini so I used that instead.

My version of Short Rib Stew, adapted from Food and Wine.

Ingredients-

4 beef short ribs, on the bone
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup dry red wine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large onion, cut into 1-inch dice
2 pound zucchini, cut into 1 inch dice
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, chopped
8 sage leaves, coarsely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Method-
In a large bowl, toss the short ribs with the flour. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil. Working in batches, cook the short ribs over moderately high heat until browned all over, about 6 minutes per batch.

Discard the oil.

Return the meat and any juices to the casserole. Add the wine and boil until reduced by half, 8 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat until the meat is tender, 2 hours.

Skim any fat from the stew. Stir in the carrots, potatoes, parsnips, onion, zucchini, thyme and sage. Cover and simmer over low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 35 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Short Rib Pot Pie

Tonight's dinner was on the cover of this month's Bon Appetit magazine. I cannot fully describe the way the house smelled while the short ribs were on the stove. Intoxicating might work. I fixed the filling and the crust last night. Today I put it all together. I was able to remove the fat from the top of the pan and also when I shredded the meat with a fork I was able to take off all the excess fat. This is a smile inducing recipe. And I made enough for 2 meals, gotta love that freezer! The crust was basically the pate brise recipe I always use, but flaky enough. The whole dish tasted very clean and not fatty. I even ended up with 2 cups of broth that I popped in the freezer for another day.

From Bon Appetit, Short Rib Pot Pie

Ingredients -

Crust
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
½ cup vegetable shortening

Filling and Assembly
3 pounds boneless beef short ribs, cut into 2” pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup all-purpose flour, plus more
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 10-Oz. Package frozen pearl onions, thawed 
4 garlic cloves, chopped (no I did not add it)

2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups dry red wine
2 sprigs rosemary
6 sprigs thyme, plus 2 Tbsp. Chopped thyme
Sea salt
Heavy cream (for brushing)

Method -
Crust
Pulse flour and salt in a food processor; add butter and shortening and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Transfer flour mixture to a large bowl and drizzle with ½ cup ice water. Mix with a fork until dough just comes together.
Knead dough lightly, adding more water by the tablespoonful if needed, until no dry spots remain (dough will be slightly shaggy but moist). Form into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours.
DO AHEAD: Crust can be made 2 days ahead; keep chilled.

Filling and assembly -
Preheat oven to 375°. Season short ribs with kosher salt and pepper; toss with ½ cup flour on a rimmed baking sheet. Heat oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, shake excess flour from ribs and cook, turning occasionally, until deeply browned, 8–10 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a large bowl.

Add onions to same pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown; season with kosher salt and pepper and, using a slotted spoon, transfer to a small bowl. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic to pot, and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes.

Add tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until slightly darkened in color, 5–8 minutes. Add wine, rosemary, and thyme sprigs, bring to a boil, and cook, scraping up browned bits, until liquid is reduced by half, 8–10 minutes. Add 6 cups water to pot and bring to a boil.

Return short ribs to pot; season with kosher salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer gently, uncovered, until short ribs are almost falling apart and the liquid is thick enough to lightly coat a spoon, 2½–3 hours.

Add onions and chopped thyme to pot and stir to break up short ribs; season filling with kosher salt and pepper. Remove herb sprigs.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about ⅛” thick. Transfer filling to a shallow 2-qt. baking dish. Place over filling and trim, leaving overhang. Tuck edges under and crimp. Cut a few slits in crust. Brush with cream and sprinkle with sea salt. Alternatively, you can use 8 individual dishes. Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake pot pie until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown, 50–60 minutes (35–40 minutes for smaller dishes). Let sit 5–10 minutes before serving.
DO AHEAD: Filling can be made 2 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat gently before assembling pie.