A Time to Braise

Before I left for my trip to the Washington DC Area, I made another pot of Short Ribs. They've been my cut of choice the last few times I've decide to cook beef, and the recipe I went to this time was by Walter Manzke of Bouchée and L'Auberge (Carmel, CA) fame.

You wouldn't think a couple tablespoons of vinegar could do much in dish, but his addition of balsamic and red-wine vinegars were noticeable—and inspired. They really did the trick to deepen flavors overall. That bit of acidity added more depth to the sauce and intensified the beef's meatiness without making the it seem heavy.

I skipped the vegetables that accompanies the dish, but I did go through the process of straining and reducing the sauce to pour over the beef.




BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS

Makes 4 servings.

ingredients
For short ribs
4 (8-oz) pieces bone-in beef short ribs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 medium carrots, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 (14-oz) can whole San Marzano tomatoes in juice, puréed
in a blender with juice
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
4 cups brown veal stock or 1/2 cup Demi-Glace Gold concentrate (concentrate requires a dilution ratio of 1:8; 1/2 cup concentrate to 4 cups water)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
1 tablespoon Banyuls vinegar or red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

For vegetables
20 pearl onions (5 oz)
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon Banyuls vinegar or red-wine vinegar
2 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth (16
fl oz)
4 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1 1/2-inch pieces
3 thick bacon slices (preferably applewood-smoked; 1/4 lb total), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
8 medium fresh white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered lengthwise
preparation

Braise short ribs:
Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 250°F.

Pat beef dry. Heat oil in a wide (12 inches in diameter) 3- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown beef on all sides, turning with tongs, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Add chopped carrots, onion, and garlic to oil in pot and cook over moderate heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup puréed tomatoes (reserve remainder for another use) and bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Add wine and boil, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, about 8 minutes.

Add veal stock, thyme, bay leaf, vinegars, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to sauce, and bring to a simmer. Skim fat from surface, then add beef along with any juices accumulated on plate and cover pot with a tight-fitting lid. Transfer to oven and braise until beef is very tender, 4 to 5 hours.

Cook vegetables while beef braises:
Blanch pearl onions in a wide 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan of boiling water 1 minute, then drain in a sieve. When just cool enough to handle, peel onions with a paring knife, trimming root end just enough to leave onions intact.

Heat butter in dried saucepan over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook onions, stirring occasionally, until brown spots appear, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar, then add chicken stock and carrots and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover and boil, if necessary, until liquid glazes vegetables.

While vegetables are simmering, cook bacon in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until mushrooms are tender and bacon is browned and crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to vegetables in saucepan.

Assemble dish:
Transfer a short rib to each of 4 soup plates and keep warm in oven. Pour sauce through a medium-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing on and then discarding solids, then skim fat from sauce. Boil sauce, if necessary, until thickened and reduced to about 3 cups. Season with salt and pepper. Add about 2 cups sauce to vegetables (reserve remaining sauce for another use), then spoon mixture around short ribs.

Cooks' Note: Ribs can be braised 1 day ahead and cooled completely in sauce, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Remove solidified fat from dish before reheating.

Gourmet, October 2006
Walter Manzke
Bouchée and L'Auberge Carmel, Carmel

Girl Rediscovers Kitchen

I interrupt my recent string of restaurant posts with this bulletin—I still cook. While I've been hitting the restaurant circuit pretty hard on recent trips, I haven't forgotten my way around a kitchen once I've returned from my travels. Since coming back from New York, I've fired up my stove twice to make a fish stew and beef short ribs.

The fish stew came courtesy of Chef Paz, so I'll refer you to her site for the details on Brazilian Style Salmon Fish Stew. I threw my salmon in the marinade in the morning before going to work and tossed everything in a pot to cook once I got back in the evening. It doesn't get any easier than that for wonderful results. It's a full-flavored dish that goes great with rice. I made enough for dinner one night and two lunches during the week. A container also went into the freeze for later, down the road, when I'm too lazy to cook.




Short ribs are a lovely cut of beef to work with, although they've gotten a bit pricey with their recent, newfound popularity. The meat is marbled in a wonderful way; and as long as you slow cook it, you're guaranteed a marvelously tender outcome.

My short ribs were turned into Short Ribs Provencale with a recipe from Bon Appétit. I had a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon lying around and used it instead of Zinfandel. I don't think the switch made much of a different. One red wine is as good as another in my opinion for cooking, as along as its something you would also drink. And once again, I had enough ribs for one dinner, a couple lunches, and the freezer for a later date.



SHORT RIBS PROVENCALE

Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons (or more) olive oil
6 pounds meaty beef short ribs
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
12 whole garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon dried herbes de Provence*
2 cups red Zinfandel
2 1/2 cups canned beef broth
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup (about) water
24 baby carrots, peeled
1/2 cup Niçois olives,** pitted
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°F. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Working in batches, add ribs to pot and brown well, turning often, about 8 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer ribs to large bowl.

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons drippings from pot or add oil as necessary to measure 2 tablespoons. Add onion, chopped carrot, and celery and cook over medium-low heat until vegetables are soft, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, flour, and herbes de Provence; stir 1 minute. Add wine and 2 cups broth; bring to boil over high heat, scraping up browned bits. Add tomatoes with juices and bay leaf. Return ribs and any accumulated juices to pot. If necessary, add enough water to pot to barely cover ribs. Bring to boil.

Cover pot tightly and transfer to oven. Bake until ribs are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours 15 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, then refrigerate uncovered until cold. Cover and keep refrigerated. Bring to simmer before continuing.)

Add remaining 1/2 cup broth, peeled baby carrots, and Niçois olives to pot; press carrots gently to submerge. Cover, return to oven and continue cooking at 350°F until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Transfer short ribs and carrots to platter. Tent with foil to keep warm. If necessary, boil sauce to thicken slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over short ribs. Sprinkle with parsley.

* A dried herb mixture available at specialty foods stores and in the spice section of some markets. A mix of dried thyme, basil, savory, and fennel seeds can be substituted.
** Small brine-cured black olives; available at Italian markets, specialty foods stores, and some supermarkets.

Bon Appétit, January 2002

Prime Rib Dinner

I don't do it often enough, but when I do I thoroughly enjoy myself, which is to pull out all the stops, spend all afternoon in the kitchen, and cook a serious meal that I've considered and planned in advance. But an opportunity presented itself a few weeks ago when my dad was in town and felt the need for some good American beef.

Now prime rib is almost as fool proof a roast as you can get. It's one of the best cuts around, and while you pay top dollar for it, it has a wonderfully rich lushness that is oh-so rewarding when you sink your teeth in—I invariably sigh with pleasure at my first bite of flesh. It's so flavorful in a basic cooked state that your only job to season it well, salt and pepper will do, and then not overcook it and you're guaranteed to be golden.

This time around I massaged a coriander spice rub into the flesh as a seasoning for the roast. I like to target the medium range for my prime rib, so that it has a soft pink colored center, although some would say I'm overcooking it and lean more to a medium-rare, brighter pink core—to each her own. But I do feel that medium-well is as good as burning it and you've destroyed the juicy tenderness that you paid dearly for in the first place.

While I don't use a meat thermometer because I'm thus far too cheap to invest in one, I've done enough rib roasts in my oven to know that approximately 20 minutes at 325˚ degrees for each 1/2 pound gives me the result I desire. Then I let the meat rest covered with foil for at least 30 minutes before carving it up and serving with horseradish—a must for me. Prime rib and horseradish are pair like peanut butter and jelly; the two just go so well together that you can't have one without the other.



To accompany the prime rib, I made three very traditional side dishes: mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, and ginger glazed carrots. Originally, I wanted to make buttermilk mashed potatoes, thinking I could use up the buttermilk I bought few days before to make red velvet cake; but, alas, when I reach for the carton to douse my boiled Yukon Gold, the milk was already passed it used by date, so I had to fall back on whole milk, instead, with the usual suspects of salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. I use white pepper, as oppose to black, for cosmetic reasons, because I like to keep the mound of white fluffiness free and clear of black flecks.

As for the creamed spinach, it was the first time I ever made the dish and have since come to believe it a mixed blessing now that I actually know what can go into it. The recipe I decided on attempting called for whole milk and heavy cream, along with butter, but I blanched at all that butterfat and stopped short of the heavy cream. It tasted just as creamy with only milk and butter, and still very indulgent in my opinion.

I couldn't resist the orange and yellow carrots I saw at a local farmers market the morning of the dinner, so they became a last minute addition to the meal. Fresh ginger added liveliness to the dish that offset the mellow creaminess of the spinach and potatoes dishes. My dad actually liked this side best, so I was happy I took a chance and tried something new and different. I was just going to be boring and boil the carrots until I stumbled upon the recipe with an online internet search.

Now if I could pat myself on the back for a moment and say I thought I managed a successful meal. I didn't burn anything and I was able to time the dishes so that everything was ready to eat together—not something I always to do well. And as icing on the metaphorical cake, I got lucky and picked a wine at the supermarket that went exceptionally well with the meal. It was bold and spicy Australian Cab (Rosemount) that stood up well against the rich meatiness of the prime rib. It was a pleasure to drink; but then again, after two generous glasses almost anything tastes good and goes down easy.



Note the recipes are for more people than I had for dinner, so I adjusted portions accordingly and approximated everything down to in fractions for smaller servings.


CORIANDER-CRUSTED STANDING RIB ROAST

SERVES: 12

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup coriander seeds
2 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
One 7-pound beef rib roast, at room temperature
1/2 cup fresh orange juice

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375°. In a spice grinder or mortar, coarsely grind the coriander with the salt and peppercorns. Transfer the spice mixture to a bowl and stir in the olive oil and orange zest to make a paste. Spread the spice paste all over the roast and set it, fat side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan. Pour the orange juice into the pan.

Roast the meat for 25 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 325° and roast for about 2 hours and 20 minutes longer, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the roast registers 125° for rare to medium rare. Transfer the roast to a carving board, cover loosely with foil and let rest for at least 15 minutes before carving into 1/2 -inch-thick slices.

MAKE AHEAD: The recipe can be prepared through Step 1 up to 4 hours ahead; let stand at room temperature.

Food & Wine, December 1999


CREAMED SPINACH

3 lb baby spinach
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Cook spinach in 2 batches in 1 inch of boiling salted water in an 8-quart pot, stirring constantly, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water until cool. Squeeze small handfuls of spinach to remove as much moisture as possible, then coarsely chop.

Heat milk and cream in a small saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until warm. Meanwhile, cook onion in butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add warm milk mixture in a fast stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, and simmer, whisking, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in nutmeg, spinach, and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, until heated through.

Cooks' note: Creamed spinach can be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Reheat over moderately low heat until hot.

Makes 10 servings.
Gourmet, December 2004


CARROTS WITH GINGER

2 pounds carrots, peeled, cut diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Place carrots, orange juice, butter, sugar and ginger in large skillet over medium-high heat. Bring to boil; cover and cook 3 minutes. Uncover and simmer until liquid glazes carrots, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Makes 6 servings.
Bon Appétit, November 1999