Braised Chile-Spiced Short Ribs with Black Beans

Braised Chile-Spiced Short Ribs with Black Beans

I told ya I've been busy in the kitchen! I made these short ribs on Sunday and can't think of a better way to spend a weekend day. I still haven't bought myself a good Dutch oven (have you seen the price tags on those things?) but I have found that using a high sided cast-iron skillet (otherwise known as "the chicken pan") with a lid works fantastically well. Ingenuity. That's the name of that tune. 

I had some misgivings about the use of black beans instead of the usual mashed potatoes or polenta but with the deep, rich smoky flavor of the "gravy" it was a major winning combo. With the inclusion of molasses and bacon it vaguely reminded me of good baked beans but the ancho and chipotle chiles with a touch of cinnamon took the whole meal south of the border. I dressed up the beans (I used canned) with some sauteed onions and corn along with some cilantro. I'm not sure why my short rib looks like a charcoal briquette in the picture. It looked much better in real life and the meat just fell off the bones.  I really can't say enough to describe how fantastic this recipe is but I can highly recommend that you give it a try. Enjoy!
 

Recipe: Braised Chile-Spiced Short Ribs with Black Beans  

Gourmet; February 2009

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

For beans:

1 pound dried black beans (about 2 1/4 cups)

8 cups water

1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf

For short ribs:

1 1/4 ounces dried ancho chiles (3 to 4 medium)

2 cups boiling-hot water

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped canned chipotles in adobo plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons molasses (not robust or blackstrap)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

3 whole cloves

2 1/3 cups cold water, divided

5 pounds beef short ribs

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/4 pound sliced bacon, chopped

1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick

Accompaniments: chopped white or red onion; chopped cilantro

Directions

Quick-soak beans:

Put beans in a 4-to 5-quart heavy pot with enough water to cover by 2 inches.

Bring to a boil and boil 2 minutes, then remove from heat and let stand, covered, 1 hour.

Make chile purée:

Wipe anchos clean, then stem and seed. Discard ribs and tear anchos into pieces.

Soak anchos in boiling-hot water until softened, about 20 minutes. Transfer anchos to a blender, reserving soaking liquid.

Purée anchos with onion, garlic, chipotles with sauce, tomato paste, molasses, cumin, cloves, 1/3 cup water, and 1 teaspoon salt.

Braise short ribs:

Pat ribs dry and season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper (total). Heat oil in a wide 6-to 8-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown ribs in batches, about 6 minutes per batch. Transfer as browned to a platter. Discard fat from pot.

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Cook bacon in pot over medium heat until browned, then transfer with a slotted spoon to platter.

Stir chile purée into fat in pot (it may spatter). Cook, stirring frequently, 6 minutes. Stir in reserved chile-soaking liquid, remaining 2 cups water, and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil. Return ribs and bacon to pot and braise, covered, in oven until ribs are very tender, 3 to 3 1/4 hours. Skim fat from sauce.

Cook beans while ribs braise:

Drain beans, then return to pot and add fresh water (8 cups), bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until beans are just tender, 1 1/4 to 2 hours (depending on age of beans). Drain just before serving. Serve short ribs with beans.

Cooks' notes:

•Short ribs can be made 3 days ahead and chilled (covered once cool).

•Beans can be cooked 3 days ahead and chilled (do not drain). Reheat before draining.

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Cod With Coconut, Lime and Lemongrass-Curry Sauce

Cod With Coconut, Lime and Lemongrass-Curry Sauce

This was another winner of a recipe that I tried last week. This classic combination of Asian flavors combine to make a richly flavorful yet light lunch or supper. I served this with some rice made with coconut milk, grated carrot and a little red chile. the 1/2 lb. of butter called for to blanch the bok choy seemed a bit extravagant and not worth the expense,  moniterily or  calorie wise, so I just put little dabs of butter on the bok choy when it came out of the water. I just didn't see why you would want to turn an otherwise healthy meal into a heart attack on a plate! Enjoy!

Recipe: Cod With Coconut, Lime and Lemongrass-Curry Sauce

Eric Ripert for Epicurious 2005

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

The Sauce:

1 tablespoon butter

2 shallots, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 lemongrass stalk, thinly sliced

1-inch knob ginger, thinly sliced

3 kaffir lime leaves (lime zest can be substituted here)

1 tablespoon Madras curry (or your favorite powder or paste)

3 cups chicken stock

3/4 cup fresh coconut milk, or canned

4 cilantro sprigs

Fine sea salt to taste

Freshly ground white pepper to taste

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

The Cod:

2 tablespoons canola oil

4 7-ounce cod fillets, 1 1/2-inches thick

Fine sea salt to taste

Freshly ground white pepper to taste

The Garnish:

1/2 pound butter

Fine sea salt

9 heads baby bok choy, divided in half (quartered if large)

1/4 cup kosher salt

Special equipment:

2 10-inch nonstick ovenproof skillets

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

To make the broth, melt the butter in a small sauté pan or wok over medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, kaffir lime leaves and curry and sweat until tender and with no color, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat simmer for 15 minutes. Add the coconut milk and cilantro, and simmer for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Strain through a fine chinois and set aside.

Divide the 2 tablespoons of canola oil between the skillets. Place over high heat until oil is just smoking. Season the cod on both sides with salt and pepper. Put 2 pieces of cod in each skillet and sauté until golden brown and crusted on the bottom, about 2 1/2 minutes. Turn and sear on the other side for 30 seconds. Put the pans in the oven and roast until a metal skewer can be easily inserted into the fish and, when left in the fish for 5 seconds, feels hot when touched to your lip, about 6 to 7 minutes.

In a large pot, heat 4 quarts of water, the butter, and the kosher salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the bok choy and cook until crisp tender, about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a sheet pan in the refrigerator to cool quickly so they retain their bright green color.

To serve, reheat the sauce and finish with the lime juice. In each of 4 bowls, place a piece of cod. Place 3 to 4 pieces of bok choy around the cod. Pour the sauce over the cod and serve immediately.

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Lamb Chili With Masa Harina Dumplings

Lamb Chili With Masa Harina Dumplings

I haven't been posting much but boy have I been cooking up some winners starting with this lamb chili that I adapted from Gourmet magazine. The chili has a deep richness and subtle smoky flavor that is balanced out by the soft, creamy cornmeal dumplings.  That addition of the dumplings here was a stroke of genius to be sure. I never use lard unless it's a Mexican or Tex-Mex recipe that specifically calls for it. The lard adds such flavor to dishes like this that I would highly recommend you use it if your diet will allow for it. You can use any combination of dried chiles that you like. If I can ever get my hands on some New Mexican Chiles I would love to try them here as the recipe suggests but the ancho and pasilla worked great. Just be careful because the pasilla have a bit more heat than the ancho. This is warm and hearty and oh so satisfying. Enjoy!

Recipe: Lamb Chili With Masa Harina Dumplings

Adapted from Gourmet, February 2006

6 Servings

Ingredients
For chili
10 dried mild New Mexico chiles (2 1/2 to 3 oz)

(I used 7 ancho and 3 pasilla chiles)
4 cups water
3 1/4 lb boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

I used 1/2 cubed lamb and 1/2 ground lamb)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped (2 cups)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
3 tablespoons finely chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo

4 cups water
(I used 2 cups water and 2 cups beef stock)

For dumplings
3/4 cup masa harina (corn tortilla mix)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chilled lard or unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
 

Directions
Make chili:

Simmer dried chiles in 2 cups water, covered, in a 2-quart heavy saucepan until very soft, about 20 minutes. Reserve 3/4 cup cooking liquid, then drain in a colander. Stem chiles (do not remove seeds), then purée in a blender with reserved cooking liquid until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Force purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Reserve purée.

Pat lamb dry, then sprinkle with pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Heat 2 tablespoons lard in a 6-quart wide heavy pot or a 3-inch-deep straight-sided skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown lamb in 4 batches (without crowding), turning occasionally, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a bowl.

Add remaining tablespoon lard to pot, then cook onion, garlic, bay leaves, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add cumin and oregano and cook, stirring frequently, 1 minute. Stir in reserved chile purée and chipotles and simmer, stirring frequently and scraping up brown bits from bottom of pot, 5 minutes. Add lamb along with any juices accumulated in bowl and remaining 3 cups water, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until lamb is tender, about 2 1/2 hours.

Make dumplings: 
Stir together masa harina, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Blend in lard pieces with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk, stirring just until dough is moistened (do not overmix).

Skim fat off chili and discard bay leaves, then drop 8 or 9 heaping tablespoons of dough onto simmering chili, about 2 inches apart. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer, covered, until tops of dumplings are dry to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Cooks' note:
Chili is best when made at least 1 day ahead, without dumplings and cilantro, and can be made 2 days ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Discard fat from surface and reheat stew before adding dumplings and sprinkling with cilantro.

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Daring Cooks January Challenge: Satay

Daring Cooks January Challenge: Satay

This was my first Daring Cooks challenge that I completely forgot about until Monday night and it had to be posted today! Yikes! Fortunately I had everything I needed and it's satay, why wouldn't I leap at an excuse to make that? So I set about following the challenge recipe. We had a bit of latitude with this one in that you could pick whatever protein or vegetable you wanted to "satay" (can that be a verb?), we could add some heat, extra ginger and fish sauce to the marinade if we chose (I chose) and then make the peanut sauce and/or two other sauce options in case peanuts were an allergen for some. The marinade part was very very good. The sauce recipes were not, I'm sorry to say, to my liking. I am posting the marinade portion and would suggest you use your favorite peanut sauce recipe for this. Kris at Bake in Paris suggested dipping the skewers in some reserved coconut milk before grilling which I will do next time I attempt this and also made a wonderful cucumber salad that I really must try, you can find that recipe here. The DC challenge was hosted by Cuppy of Cuppylicious  and came from 1000 Recipes by Martha Day. Thanks to Cuppy for her enthusiasm and energy. Happy days!

Recipe: Satay Marinade

Ingredients

1/2 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 T ginger root, chopped (optional) (2 cm cubed)

2 T lemon juice (1 oz or 30 mls)

1 T soy sauce (0.5 oz or 15 mls)

1 tsp ground coriander (5 mls)

1 tsp ground cumin (5 mls)

1/2 tsp ground turmeric (2-2.5 mls)

2 T vegetable oil (or peanut or olive oil) (30 mls)

1 pound of chicken, pork (loin or shoulder cuts), tofu etc. (16 oz or 450g)

Feeling the need to make it more Thai? Try adding a dragon chili, an extra tablespoon of ginger root, and 1 tablespoon (0.5 oz or 15 mls) of fish sauce. (I keep some premature (still green) dragon chili peppers in the freezer for just such an occasion.)

Directions

1a. Cheater alert: If you have a food processor or blender, dump in everything except the pork and blend until smooth. Lacking a food processor, I prefer to chop my onions, garlic and ginger really fine then mix it all together in a medium to large bowl.

2a. Cut pork into 1 inch strips.

3a. Cover pork with marinade. You can place the pork into a bowl, cover/seal and chill, or place the whole lot of it into a ziplock bag, seal and chill.

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Poblano Albóndigas (Meatballs) in Ancho Chile Broth

Poblano Albóndigas (Meatballs) in Ancho Chile Broth

To my foodie friends: Your kind words and congrats have cheered me considerably. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. What an amazing caring community we belong to! It never ceases to amaze me.

Bon Appetit really out did themselves with this wonderful soup recipe. I've always liked the idea of a soup with meatballs but somehow never got around to trying one but when I saw the flavor combination here I couldn't resist. If chiles are involved I get pretty darn excited. This soup is not spicy but you can easily turn up the heat with a little cayenne which, of course, I did. The only other addition I made was to sprinkle some ancho powder on the tortilla strips. Fantastic!

Recipe: Poblano Albóndigas (Meatballs) in Ancho Chile Broth 
6 first-course or 4 main-course servings

Recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine; January 2010

Ingredients

Meatballs

2 large fresh poblano chiles (9 to 10 ounces total)

1 pound ground beef (15% fat)

1/2 cup coarsely grated zucchini

1/4 cup finely grated onion

1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

1 large egg, beaten to blend

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican), crumbled

1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 small onion, coarsely grated

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons pure ancho chile powder or pasilla chile powder* (do not use blended chile powder)

9 cups low-salt beef broth

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)

1 cup coarsely grated zucchini

1/4 cup long-grain white rice

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon (or more) fresh lime juice

Toppings

3 tablespoons (or more) vegetable oil

4 corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips

Chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

Meatballs

Line large rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap. Char chiles over direct flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in paper bag and steam 10 minutes. Stem, seed, and peel chiles, then chop finely (should yield about 3/4 cup).

Place chiles in large bowl. Gently mix in beef and all remaining ingredients. Using moistened hands and scant tablespoonful for each, roll meat mixture into 1-inch meatballs. Arrange meatballs on sheet.

Soup

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion with any juices and garlic. Sauté until onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Add chile powder and cumin; stir 1 minute. Add broth and oregano; bring to rolling boil. Reduce heat to very low, just below bare simmer, and cook 10 minutes.

Stir zucchini and rice into broth. Increase heat to medium and drop in meatballs, 1 at a time. Return soup to simmer. Cover and cook gently until meatballs and rice are cooked through, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat to avoid boiling, about 20 minutes. Add 1/4 cup cilantro and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Season soup with salt and add more lime juice by teaspoonfuls, if desired.

Toppings

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy medium skillet over medium heat 1 minute. Add half of tortilla strips. Cook until crisp, gently separating strips with tongs, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer strips to paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining tortilla strips, adding more oil if needed.

Ladle soup and meatballs into bowls. Top with tortilla strips and cilantro. Enjoy!

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Blog Post 100: Chicken Marbella From The Silver Palate Cookbook

Blog Post 100: Chicken Marbella From The Silver Palate Cookbook

Wow! Have I been a slug lately. I'm not usually prone to the winter blues but I think that's what's wrong with me. I haven't wanted to cook, blog or do much of anything. To make matters worse I'm all alone this week while Manly goes to Ft. Lauderdale for a training seminar (must be nice) and Chef Mikey (my youngest son) starts culinary school this week. Good for both of them but what to do with myself? I decided I needed to snap out of my little funk and DO something! I started by cleaning out and organizing my kitchen. Yeah, I know how to party, don't I? It really is amazing how such a simple thing can make you fell better though. It's hard to cook and blog and be "creative" when all about you is a wreck. I also needed to get my recipes and journals straightened out so I could find the things I want to share with you this week. Done. So here I am feeling a bit better about things and just in time to do my 100th blog post!

This recipe, I think, is a great one befitting the occasion. It comes from The Silver Palate Cookbook and is a bold way to perk up me and the chicken. My mom discovered it recently and was raving about it so of course I had to make it. It is dynamite. It can be served hot or at room temperature so is great for a buffet style party. You can make it with chicken wings and serve as an appetizer and since it improves with age you can make it a day or two ahead of time. This does require overnight marination and was written for 10-12 servings. This dish has little bits of salty, sweet and sour and is just a fantastic combination. I added some roasted red pepper strips just because I had a small jar and wanted to add some color and I also sprinkled some crushed red pepper flakes on the chicken before baking to add a little contrasting heat. The recipe below is as it is written in the cookbook but I used whatever olives I had and had some dried dates that I used instead of the prunes and I can't imagine that it suffered in any way. Enjoy!

Recipe: Chicken Marbella

The Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins

Workman Publishing, New York; Copyright 1979

Ingredients

4 chickens, 2 1/2 lbs each, quartered

1 head of garlic, peeled and finely pureed

1/4 cup dried oregano

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup pitted prunes

1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives

1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice

6 bay leaves

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white wine

1/4 cup Italian parsley or fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Directions

In a large bowl combine chicken quarters, garlic, oregano, pepper and salt, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice, and bay leaves. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large shallow pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with pan juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest, yield clear rather than pink juice.

With a slotted spoon transfer chicken, prunes, olives and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Pass remaining juices in a sauceboat.

To serve cold, cool to room temperature in cooking juices before transferring to a platter. If chicken has been covered and refrigerated, allow it to come to room temperature before serving. Spoon some of the reserved juices over the chicken. Makes 16 pieces, 10 or more servings.

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