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.

Zuppa Arcidossana

 

 This recipe came from a Mark Bittman New York Times article. I made it for the first time back 2009. It is delicious and the comment tonight was that we can have this anytime!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings
1 cup 1/2-inch-diced carrots
1 large onion, chopped
3 or 4 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and black pepper
1 cup stale bread (use coarse, country-style bread), cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 pound spinach, trimmed, washed and roughly chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup ricotta salata, cut in 1/2-inch cubes (feta may be substituted)
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley, optional.

Method

1. Put oil in a large pot or deep skillet and brown sausage over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. When sausage is cooked through and leaving brown bits in pan, add carrots, onion and garlic, and continue to cook until vegetables begin to soften and brown, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Add bread to pan and stir for a minute or 2; add spinach and continue cooking just until it wilts, a couple of minutes.
3. Add about 2 cups water and stir to loosen any remaining brown bits from pan. This is more of a stew than a soup, but there should be some broth, so add another cup of water if necessary. When broth is consistency of thin gravy, ladle stew into serving bowls and top with cheese and some freshly chopped parsley if you have it. Serve immediately.

Forgot to add the cheese for the first photo...

Italian Lentil and Chestnut Stew

I have been wanting to try a recipe with Chestnuts. I found the recipe for Italian Lentil and Chestnut Stew on Closet Cooking and bookmarked to try at some time.
I was visiting the Closet Cooking blog and saw the blog was chosen to be part of the Salt to Taste: Tried and Tasted event this month. Perfect time to try the recipe.
I roasted the Chestnuts, love the aroma of roasted chestnuts. The stew was delicious.