Girl's Trip (Steak Lover's Salad with Steak Sauce Vinaigrette)

They had me at "Steak Sauce Vinaigrette" - I recreated
the salad at Old Ebbitt Grill with a few tweaks of my own  

One of the things that most excited us when we moved to North Carolina was the opportunity to explore the "other" coast. As SoCal natives, had pretty much explored every nook and cranny of the western half of the country. The east coast, not so much. Moving to North Carolina was our chance to change that.  What I didn't anticipate was that we'd also expand the travel horizons of family and friends. 

Earlier this month I had the awesome opportunity to do just that, with my Bestie from the  Westie, Sheryl. Truly friends for life, Sheryl and I try to get away every year or so. And when I learned that she'd never experienced Our Nation's Capital, that pretty much cinched the destination for this year's trip. 

Besties for Life
Holly & Sheryl at Old Ebbitt Grill

Over the course of four days we walked, laughed, ate and drank our way though museums, monuments, and some amazing restaurants and watering holes. The salad recipe I'm sharing today was inspired by one of our favorite spots, Old Ebbitt Grill, which is located just a few blocks from the White House. 

An iconic DC restaurant and bar that is frequented by the powers that be, Old Ebbitt Grill is exactly what one might expect. Slightly Victorian with a bit of an "old boys club" air, but with a totally up to date vibe and menu.  

Picture perfect day at
The National Mall

Sheryl opted for the Steak Salad, and after one bite passed it over to me for a try. Wowzer! One taste of the Steak Sauce Vinaigrette and I had to figure out how to make it! 

Today, I had the opportunity to give it a shot, and deemed the result blog-worthy. The restaurant serves its version with bleu cheese and filet mignon, but we prefer New York strip and feta, so that's what you'll see below. I bet it would be good with chunks of a nice, aged cheddar or pieces of goat cheese as well. I honestly don't remember if they had pickled red onions on theirs, but I'm kinda on a picked onion kick and I gotta say, it adds a nice bit of zip. Ditto the pecans - seemed like a good way to add some crunch, so I sprinkled a few and really liked the result.

Here's how I did it:

Steak Lover's Salad with Steak Sauce Vinaigrette - Inspired by the Steak Salad at Old Ebitt Grill in Washington, DC

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Salad:

• 2 New York strip steaks, seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil and grilled to your liking - we like our medium rare (about 4-5 minutes on each side depending upon the thickness of the steaks) and allowed to rest under a loose piece of aluminum foil for 10 minutes. Cut the steak into bite sized pieces.
• 8 cups of mixed field greens (2 5oz bags)
• 12 asparagus spears, woody ends cut off and blanched in boiling salted water and then removed to a bowl of ice and water to chill and then cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 8-10 mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 4 oz feta cheese, cut into cubes

For the Steak Sauce Vinaigrette

• 1 5oz bottle of A1 Steak Sauce (about 2/3 cup)
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 TBS Dijon mustard
• 1 TBS honey
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

For the Pickled Onions:

• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 TBS Kosher salt
• 1 TBS sugar

For garnish - this salad need some crunch!:

• 1/2 cup pecan halves, toasted in a dry pan

Method

• At least one hour before you assemble the salad, mix the ingredients for the pickled onions in a jar. If you are doing the day of this can rest on the kitchen counter for an hour. If you are doing it ahead, you can stash it in the ‘fridge. They should keep for a week or so.
• At the same time, shake the dressing ingredients in a small jar. It too can sit out for an hour or go into the fridge for a couple of weeks.
• When you are ready to serve, toss the salad ingredients in a large bowl with enough of the dressing to coat, but not drench the greens. 
• Portion the salad on four plates, and then top with the steak, pickled onions and pecans

Enjoy!

Fancy but not Fancy (Beef Stroganoff Two Ways)

Dinner Party Ready, with filet mignon
and brandy

Beef Stroganoff. It just sounds fancy. But in reality, it’s one of the easiest dishes to cook for a holiday (we had it for Christmas Dinner last year), date night in, or yes, a quick weeknight meal. Here’s a two-in-one recipe — you can make it with ground beef or you can get fancy with filet mignon and good dose of brandy. You take your pick which one to serve to the kiddos on a Wednesday night!

Beef Stroganoff Two Ways

Serves 4-6

Easy Week Night Dinner, with
ground beef and sans brandy (or not!)

Ingredients

• 1 lb. filet mignon cut into bite sized pieces and seasoned with plenty of Kosher salt and ground black pepper (or 1 lb. ground beef)
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 lb. mushrooms
• 3/4 cup sour cream 
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth + an additional 1/2 cup combined with 2 TBS of corn starch to make a “slurry"
• 3/4 cup brandy + a splash more to add at the end (you can leave this out for the weeknight version)
• 1 TBS dijon mustard
• 2  TBS corn starch combined with 1/2 beef broth to make a “slurry”
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 4TBS butter, divided
• Salt and Pepper to season the meat
• 1 bag Egg noodles, cooked according to the package directions, drained
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Method:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet on a high heat and brown the meat. If you are using steak, do it in two batches, being careful not to over cook! Just get some color and then remove the meat to a foil-covered bowl covered. If you are using ground beef, break it up with a wooden spoon, but keep the pieces fairly large, rather than small crumbles. Season it with a good pinch of Kosher salt and some ground black pepper about half way through. Remove to paper towel lined bowl to drain. Cover with foil. 
• Add 2 TBS of the butter to the pan and sauté the onions and mushrooms over a medium heat until they are soft. Then stir in the dijon mustard. 
• Next pour in 1 1/2 cups of the beef broth, plus the brandy if you are using it. Bring this mixture to a boil and then spoon in the cornstarch slurry. Stir to combine and thicken. 
• Now adjust the heat to medium-low, add in the meat and any juices, and gently stir in the sour cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. (I like to add another 2 TBS of brandy as well).
• Serve over noodles that have been tossed with the remaining 2 TBS of butter and the parsley.

Enjoy!

When Life Gives You a Winter that Won't End - Make a Pot Roast (Low and Slow Italian Pot Roast)

We kicked off Spring with a World Team Tennis Tournament Friday night.  With temps in the mid 60s and the sun still shining at 6 o'clock in the evening, it was a perfect evening to shake off the winter cobwebs.  As I heading to my first game, my friend Laura noted how much she enjoys this blog and I promised her to post this weekend.  

The weather man promised nice warm temps, so

Italian influenced pot roast with
orange fennel carrots and
brown/wild rice

I figured that I’d be cooking up something light, filled with springtime veggies and maybe some fish…. Then after a glorious day yesterday the weather took a nasty turn.  Chilly, rainy, gray… a perfect day for a Sunday pot roast!

A wonderful California red
from our favorite winery builds
the sauce and accompanies
the roast; plus cute little
oranges to saute with
carrots and fennel seeds

We love slow braising all kinds of meat and poultry, but a good pot roast is such a comfort food.  I keep things simple and use what’s in the house to fill the pot with whatever flavors float my boat.  Today, we took a bit of an Italian bent with red wine, stewed tomatoes, oregano and fennel seeds.  I made some brown and wild rice, and sautéed up some carrots with orange segments and fennel seeds to serve on the side; and called it a day.

I like to flip the roast at the 1/2 way mark.  After 90 minutes
the sauce is starting to form.  And the house smells AMAZING

Ingredients

• 3 - 5  lb roast of beef.  Ask your butcher what is best that day for a slow braise. 
• 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes. (I like Del Monte California Style – of course - with basil, garlic and oregano.)
• About ¾ to a cup of good red wine – today I went with a Rancho Sisquoc Tre Vini, which is 55 Sauvignon, 25% Petit Verdot and 20% Syrah.  Yum.  You can use any good dry red… we just happen to love this vineyard in Central California and look forward to enjoying it with the roast tonight.
• Enough chicken broth to bring the liquid up to just under ¾ of the way up the roast. Resist the temptation to submerge the mean.  Flip it half way instead.
• Large onion sliced
• 5 large cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed (use the side of a chef’s knife to do this)
• A scant palm full Dried oregano (yes, dried…. I love fresh oregano and grow some every spring/summer.  But dried works best for a slow braise.)
• Teaspoon of fennel seeds
• Olive oil to lightly coat the pan two times - once when you brown the meat and again when you saute the onions.
• Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Method

• Preheat the oven to 350
• Liberally season all sides of the roast with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.  Set aside.
• Heat a medium sized Dutch oven until very hot and add enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom.  Now over a medium to high heat, sear the roast on all sides.  You need to be patient.  Set the roast down and don’t move it until it has a good crust; then turn and repeat the process until you have browned the entire roast.
• Remove the roast from the pan; and set on a plate.  Turn off the flame and gently wipe out any fat from the bottom of the pan, leaving any brown bits. 
• Now turn up the flame to medium, add a tad bit more oil, the onion, a healthy pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper, plus the oregano, and cook the onion slices until they are just starting to become soft.
• Next come the liquids:  Pour about a quarter cup of the wine into the pan and scrape the brown bits with a wooden spoon.  Then add the rest of the wine, the stewed tomatoes and their juices, the garlic, and enough chicken broth to bring the level of the liquid to about ¾ of the way up the roast. 
• Raise the heat to bring the liquid to a boil.  When it is bubbling, turn off the heat, put the lid on the pot.
• Now pour yourself a glass of the red wine, place the roast into the 350-degree oven for 3 hours, checking to turn the roast and add liquid if necessary at the half way mark.  Watch golf while drinking the wine.
• Once the roast is done, remove it from the pot and cover it lightly with foil to keep it warm while you make the sauce.
• To make the sauce, reduce the liquid on a medium high heat for about 5 minutes, then use a stick blender to blend the tomatoes, onions, garlic and liquid into a velvety gravy.  There's no need for flour or any other thickener.
• To serve, slice the meat, add a little sauce and dig in.  Note: this is even better the next day.  And if your meat is quite lean, you might want to reduce the cooking time a tad.

Cozy up (Holly-fied Gaston Beef Stew – Inspired by The Joy of Cooking)

I have many many cookbooks, but rarely follow a recipe.  I love to read them, get inspired by them and kinda treat them like text books from a favorite class.  But there’s one recipe that I count on when the weather turns cold:  Gaston Beef Stew from The Joy of Cooking.

I’ve been making this yummy stew for as long as I’ve been living away from my folk’s house.  That’s a very long time.  

Through the years, I’ve continued to tweak this homey basic here and there, so now it is more my own. For example, I use bacon rather than salt pork - a couple of slices does the trick; I used to use dried thyme and fresh rosemary, but lately have been on a herbs d' Provence kick. (I always thought it was odd that the original recipe had no spices or herbs, other than the parsley.)  In addition, the original recipe does not call for either mushrooms or peas, and frankly, I don't think a stew is a stew without them.  So in goes frozen peas and sliced mushrooms. I've also bumped up the amount of both the tomato sauce and beef stock.  Oh, and I also add the parsley in three stages, rather than all at one time when making the tomato-based cooking liquid. So it's still basically the same, but it has been "Holly-fied."

With the recent snow melting and showers off and on, I made a big pot of it yesterday.  It was absolutely delish.  And, as the original recipe says, it gets better after sitting overnight, so we’ll really enjoy the leftovers tonight.

Holly-fied Gaston Beef Stew

Serves 8

Ingredients

This looks like a lot of ingredients but you probably have most of them in your pantry

• 2 – 3 pieces of bacon cut into ½ inch slices (this replaces the salt pork called for in the original recipe)
• 2 pounds of beef, all visible fat cut away and cut into bite sized pieces. (I like to use a roast suitable for making pot roast, but you can buy pre-cut stew meat as well.)
• 2 large cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 large brown onion, chopped
• 1 16 oz can of tomato sauce
• 16 oz of beef stock (fill the empty tomato sauce can)
• 12 whole peppercorns
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1 cup of chopped parsley
• 6 small white potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces
• 6 carrots, peeled and cut into thick coins
• 2 ribs of celery, sliced into ½ inch pieces
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• About ¼ cup flour
• Lots of kosher salt
• Lots of fresh cracked pepper
• Lots of Herbs d’ Provence
• Few splashes of red wine vinegar

Method

• In a Dutch oven, brown the bacon until the fat is rendered and the meat is crispy.  Remove the bacon and reserve the fat in the pot
• Season the meat with salt, pepper and Herbs d’ Provence.  Brown the meat in the bacon drippings over a medium high heat.  Do this in 3 to 4 batches so you brown the meat and don’t boil it in its own juices.  Add a bit of olive oil if the pot gets dry during this process.
• When all the meat is browned, put it back in the pot with the bacon and sprinkle the flour over it.  Stir to combine.
• While the meat is browning, combine the tomato sauce, beef broth, onions, garlic, cloves, peppercorns, Bay leaves, 1/3 of the parsley, another few shakes of the herbs d’ Provence, and the Worcestershire sauce in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Pour this mixture over the browned meat after you dust it with the flour.
• Bring the entire mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover tightly with a lid and cook for 2 hours. You can stir now and then, but try to leave it alone!
• In about 45 minutes, put the potatoes and carrots into a pot of cold water with a generous amount of Kosher salt.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes, or until slightly tender.  Don’t over cook!
• Strain the veggies, and add them to the stew pot, along with the raw celery, another 1/3 of the parsley and the frozen peas.  Add a shake or two of the Herbs d’ Provence, and a pinch of salt,  couple grinds of pepper. Bring back to a bubble, reduce to simmer, cover and cook for another hour.  
• At the end of the final hour, stir the stew, check the seasoning – add salt and pepper if necessary.  
• Just before serving, stir in the remaining parsley, and a few shakes of red wine vinegar to wake it up.  (This is a great trick for anything you cook for a long time.)
• Serve with crusty bread if you like, but this is just fine all alone.

Enjoy!

It's leftover time! (Grilled Tri-Tip Roast)

Well, those leftover biscuits came in handy today when lunchtime rolled around and we were fresh out of bread. 

Steve really wanted a sandwich made from the tri-tip we grilled Friday night. But fear not, the biscuits thawed out just fine and made a dandy samy.   A smear of Dukes mayo, some grainy mustard, pickle slices and crisp romaine.  Add a cold Heineken and his favorite spot on the deck, and he was a happy man.

 

Tri-tips are a staple in California, especially the Central Coast around Santa Maria.  I like to marinade ours for as long as possible in the concoction below and then Steve grills it up fast on a screamin’ hot grill.  The trick is to pull it off before it is too far gone and then let the meat  rest for at least 15 minutes during which it will continue to cook to pinky rare perfection.

I like mine sliced thin with crisp Caesar salad and a ear of steamed corn.  But between you and me, the leftovers are the best!

Tri-Tip Roast

Ingredients

• 1 2 ½ to 3 pound tri tip roast
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 3 cloves garlic – chopped
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 heaping Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper 

Method

• Mix the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, olive oil and rosemary in a large zip lock bag.  Add the roast and refrigerate 2 hours to over night.

• 30 minutes before you are ready to grill, pull the meat, blot it dry with a paper towel and liberally apply kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.  This is a big piece of meat. Don’t skimp on the seasoning.  Let the roast come to room temp.

• Heat a gas grill to High/Medium/High

• Wipe the grill with a paper towel soaked with oil (we use grape seed oil, which as a very high smoking point)
•  Place the roast on the grill, close the lid. Set a timer for 9 minutes.
• At the 9 minute mark, flip the meat.  Close the lid. Grill for another 9 minutes.
• At the end of the second 9 minutes, check the temp.  You want to be at 115 to 125 degrees and the outside should have a nice charred crust.  
• If you are not quite there, flip the roast and cook 3 minutes per each side. Check the temp.  You should be there. Do not over cook.  The end slices will be a bit more well-done and the center will be rare, but not raw. 
• Remove the roast.  Tent LIGHTLY with foil and let the roast rest for 15 minutes.
• Now you can slice – against the grain. 

Enjoy.

They Call Him “Mr Barbeque” for a Reason (Grilled Steakhouse Roast)

Summer is in full swing. It stays light until almost 9pm and it seems like something is on the calendar after work every night.  Pilates, golf clinics and Wednesday Happy Hour with the girls, for me.  Golf, golf and more golf for Steve.  And of course we have Friday nights on the Front Porch at the Carolina Inn. 

Somewhere in there, one must eat dinner – and neither of us are fans of mid-week restaurant dinners or take out.  Hence, we’ve taken to grilling a hunk of meat (pork loin, a whole chickens turkey breasts) on Mondays that can turn into salads or stir fries as we swing thru the house our way to or from our other activities later in the week. 

Tonight I had an after work cooking class with my niece (look for biscuit related posts in the future!) so Steve was left to his own devices with a cut of beef we’d never seen before – a Steakhouse Roast.  According to the butcher who turned us onto this one, a Steakhouse Roast is what they cut New York Strip Steaks from.  That’s all it took for me.

Here’s the method:

• To make this little beauty, Steve simply marinated the entire piece of meant (about 2.5 pounds) in Worcestershire sauce for about 45 minutes. The he blotted it off and rubbed it with olive oil.
• Next he liberally seasoned the meat with salt and pepper.
• The off to the grill, which was fired up to around 350 degrees.
• The butcher said to cook the beef for about 9 minutes per pound for rare, which is the way we like it AND a doneness that does well for beef that you will re-heat later in the week. (Unless you like jerky)
• Steve seared the meat on all sides on high and then downshifted to medium-off-medium; laying the meat fat side up.  Then he closed the lid and let the magic begin.
• The sizzling sounds of the meat cooking were so tempting, but we left the lid closed.
• About 18 minutes later, we pulled the meat.  (You’re going for about 125 /130 degrees for rare/medium rare– it will continue to cook as it rests.).  Then we tented it loosely with foil as I sautéed up some zucchini.
• We sliced a bit thicker than we'd normally slice a roast -- probably somewhere between a1/4 and 1/2 inch thick.

Un-be-frickin-leavable!

Super Bowl! (Mom's chili and beans)

I love it when Will calls and asks for a recipe so he can cook for his friends. 


I just hung up from just that kind of call -- he's having friends over for chili and elk burgers (remember, he goes to school in Montana and now has a freezer full of venison, elk and moose) and needed me to email him the ingredient list for "Mom's Chili."  We couldn't believe that this recipe hadn't been blogged yet -- I sent it to him his freshman year, with a box full of canned goods and spices. 


Steve & I wish we could join the boys for the game, but at least we know how the chili will taste.... delish!

Mom’s Chili with Beans

This is one those recipes that is not exact.  OK you know the drill. You will have to taste as you go and adjust. Here’s what you need:

The fresh stuff:

• 1 to 1.5 lbs ground beef (elk and venison work well, too)
• 1 onion - chopped up
• 2 - 3 cloves of garlic - minced
• XLNT tamale (usually in the deli section of the grocery store) - if you can’t find this, packaged polenta will also work - the polenta comes in a tube and may be in the refrigerated section or where the rice or pasta is. The masa will be in the Mexican section, cuz it's what you use to make tamales and tortillas. Find a nice lady and ask (-; 

The canned stuff

• Big can of crushed tomatoes (or whole tomatoes that you squish up)
• Large can of dark red kidney beans
• Medium can of diced tomatoes
• Small can of tomato paste
• Small can of Ortega diced chilies
• Can of beef broth
• Bottle of beer (optional)

The herbs and spices

• Cumin - I prefer the seeds
• Chili powder
• Oregano
• Salt and pepper

The Method:

Over a medium to low flame

• Brown the beef, drain the fat and remove the beef to a bowl or plate
• Add the onions and sauté until translucent
• Add the garlic - sauté  - be careful, don’t burn it!

Next

• Add 1/2 of the can of tomato paste - sauté it until it looks like it has developed a bit of color
• Add palm full of chili powder
• Add about a fourth to half palm of the cumin - go easy on this. Crush it in your hands by rubbing it together then toss in
• Add about a fourth palm of oregano - crushed in your hands the same way
• Add the beef back in and sauté it all together

Now, add the cans of crushed and diced tomatoes as well as the big ol' can of kidney beans, and stir this well. 

• Add some salt and pepper to taste
• At this point you’ll want to add about 1/2 can of beef broth; stir it well. This is also when you make the judgment call about the beer. It’s nice to add if you will have time to let it cook down. If you don’t have that kind of time add the rest of the beef broth.

Lower the heat and let this simmer for 45 minutes or so. Stir it now and then.

At about the 30 to 45 minute mark I like to add the tamale (or polenta or masa) if you have them. They are not mandatory, but they thicken it up and make it really good.

•  To add the tamale/polenta/masa you will need to smush them up with some of the reserved broth or a little water. You need to get it to a stage where you can mix it into the chili as a thickening agent. Not super thin, but stir-able.

Cook the final mix for another 15 to 20 minutes. It can go longer, but keep an eye on it. Burnt chili is nasty.

---------------------

Serve with cheese and onions

(Another way to stretch this for a crowd is to add a can of black beans and/or a can of corn)

Forgotten post – and a New Year’s Resolution (Bourguignon Style Beef Short ribs)

Note:  I just realized that I never posted this one from October!  The recipe is perfect for New Years Day so I’ll go ahead and share it now.  And I’ll also add “get back to blogging” to my 2011 resolutions.

One of the great joys of living in a new area is having visitors to share it with. Earlier this Fall we had the chance to show off our new town to two of our best friends and former neighbors from California, John and Barbara Zachry. 

A fun stop on the Chapel Hill tour

With some help from the wonderful butchers at Whole Foods (shout out to Owen) John, Barbara, Steve and I enjoyed a “locavore dinner” featuring sumptuous grass fed Baldwin Beef short ribs, accompanied by a slightly garlicky cauliflower puree, plus sautéed mushrooms and cipollini onions – all of which were grown or raised by local farmers. Later we retired to the screen porch to enjoy the ice cream from Maple View Farm we had selected earlier that day – a process that required many samples. (And if Owen gets a shout out, so to the Maple View cows – ladies, you are to be commended.) 

Following this my recipe for the short ribs, which are fashioned after Julia Child's oh so famous boeuf bourguignon. They are best made a day (or even two) ahead, which makes them perfect for holidays or entertaining; but feel free to make and serve them the same day. Perfect for a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Bourguignon Style Beef Short Ribs

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• ¼ lb pancetta cut into ¼ to ½ inch dice.
• 8 beef short ribs – depending on the size of the ribs, you may want to serve two each for the men and 1 each for the ladies; but I usually go for two each and see how they cook down.
• ½ cup flour (for dusting the ribs after browning and then later for thickening)
• 2 Tbs herbs d Provence
• 2 - 3 Tbs olive oil (for browning the beef – the amount depends on how much fat you render out of the pancetta)
• 2 large carrots, cut into thirds
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 3 ribs celery, cut into thirds. Leafy tops a welcome!
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 4 – 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 bottle good (but not priced out of the park) pino noir, merlot or even cabernet wine (or if you are buying French, get a red burgenouis)
• 1 box beef stock. Get organic, low sodium if you can find it.
• Kosher or sea salt; fresh cracked black pepper

 Optional, but I'd hate to leave them out:

• ½ lb cremini mushrooms, cut into quarters
• ½ lb shitake mushrooms, sliced
• 8 cipollini onions or ½ lb white pearl onions, peeled (it helps to drop them into boiling water for 2 minutes and then place them in ice water before you peel them. If you use pearl onions, make a little criss-cross cut at the bottom of the onion first, to help them peel more easily)

Method:

(I know this looks like a lot of steps, but it is REALLY quite simple)

• Heat your oven to 350 degrees
• In a large Dutch oven:over medium low heat
• Take the short ribs out of the 'fridge 30 minutes before you want to start cooking. Pat them dry with a paper towel. Season them liberally with salt, pepper and herbs d' Provence.
• Coat the bottom of the pan with some olive oil and render the fat from the panchetta. They should be brown and crispy. Be patient. It will pay off.
• Remove the rendered bits. Add some more olive oil if necessary.
• Raise the hear to medium high
• Working in batches, brown the short ribs on all sides – including the ends. You are going for a dark brown crust. Remove each batch to a large platter or paper lined surface.
• When the ribs are all browned, dust them with flour. I usually take this opportunity to add some more salt, pepper and herbs d' Provence. These puppies are going to cook for a long time, they will need the help.
• Now add the onions, carrots and celery. Let them get slightly soft as you stir them around and get up the brown bits.
• Remove the veg and put the beef into the pot.
• Put the veg, the thyme and bay leave atop and around the meat.
• Add the bottle of wine – yes all of it
• Now add the beef stock to just cover the beef.
• Bring to a boil. Turn off the heat. Put the lid on the Dutch oven and put it in the oven.
• Cook for 1 hour
• After an hour, check the meat, stirring and flipping as you go.
• Lower the heat to 250 degrees, put the Dutch oven back into the oven
• Cook for 2 more hours. (I like to check it now and then to make sure that all the liquid hasn't evaporated. For some reasons this happens now and then. If the meat is fork tender at the 1 ½ or 1 ¾ hour mark you can remove it early. But a bit more time won't hurt and if you are not sure it is tender, don't rush it.

When the ribs are fall off the bone tender, remove them from the oven.  Move the meat to a platter and throw away the veg, sprigs of thyme, bay leaf, etc.

Next to get rid of the extra fat and thicken the sauce...

• Put the Dutch oven containing the sauce on a medium to high heat and bring it to a boil, this will help bring the fat to the top. 
• Now for my own little trick – turn off the heat and place 2 or 3 paper towels, one at a time, on top of the liquid. They will absorb the fat. Just lift them up with tongs and toss into the trash. Pretty cool, hug?

 Then thicken the sauce...

• Simply take ½ cup of the liquid and put it into a small bowl, whisk in 2 – 3 Tbs of the left over flour from before. If it is too thick,add more liquid, or even a bit of water. This will make a thick “slurry” that you stir into the sauce to thicken it.
• Now raise up the heat again, and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes to reduce the volume and reach the consistency you like. 

At this point, put the short ribs and the reserved panchetta back into the sauce. You can now either reheat them for serving or let the whole thing cool down and refrigerate for up to two days.

If serving later, remove the Dutch oven containing the short ribs and sauce and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Then heat in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until the meat is heated through.

 Cipollini Onion Side Dish

I like to serve this dish with sauted ciapolini or pearl onions and mushrooms. (just saute the onions in a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme until they are slightly soft, then add some broth and steam until a knife can be inserted and removed without resistance. Then remove and keep warm while you saute the mushrooms similarly (without the broth). Then combine and divide amongst your guests.

Additional Side Dishes

A braised dish like this is often accompanied by mashed potatoes, pasta or even risotto – but with a meal this rich, I like to make a simple puree of cauliflower that has been boiled until tender with garlic cloves. Add a little butter and half & half (or plain Fage Greek yogurt), salt and pepper and you won't feel as stuffed at the end of the night!

Enjoy.