Actually, I really didn't plan it that way….the Easter Dinner thing that is. The Missus requested Her Mushroom Risotto fix. We didn't have any plans this weekend, so I thought I'd relax by….well, braising. The Missus did get Her mushroom risotto….with pan sauteed halibut and a porcini jus. I'd been wanting some short ribs, that weren't kalbi for a while. So here's another one from All About Braising.
Now the Missus doesn't eat much red meat anymore, so I don't have many chances to make rather large braised beef or pork dishes. But I figure once every couple of months would be ok, right? Plus, the Missus' coworkers would get the benefit of the left-overs.
The recipe turned out well, though to be honest it's the mashed potatoes I made with garlic confit mixed with heavy cream and finished with truffle oil that I really enjoyed.
There were some really nice small eggplants on sale at Sprouts of all places. So I roasted them using the olive oil from the garlic confit along with a half dozen cloves.
If I were to change a couple of things with the short rib recipe, the first would be to add a bit more garlic(I had already doubled what was in the recipe) and I'd go with more porcini, maybe a whole ounce with more fluid and adding the mushrooms near the end of the recipe. I did use a whole bottle of wine for this, a Syrah that was on sale for under five bucks….it did ok. I'd also go with more rosemary…even though it's not among my favorite herbs it was very mild. I also kept out the cloves…mainly because I forgot them. In case you do want to try the recipe, it calls for 3-4 whole cloves in the marinade.
Overall, this was a pretty rich dish………
Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs with Rosemary and Porcini:
4 lbs English Style Short Ribs trimmed
Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper
The marinade:
3 Tb Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 large onion coarsely chopped
1-2 carrots coarsely chopped
1 celery heart coarsely chopped
4 cloves of garlic smashed
1 bottle dry, low tannin red wine
2 Bay Leaves
8-10 black peppercorns
1 Tb sea salt
3 allspice berries crushed in a mortar
– Combine the bay leaves, allspice, peppercorns in a cheesecloth and tie with twine.
– Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and saute until softened.
– Add the wine and spice, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 10 minutes.
– Remove from heat and cool
– Once the marinade is cool, marinade ribs. (I used a extra large zip loc 0 turning every couple of hours)
– Marinade overnight.
The Braise:
1/2 ounce porcini mushrooms
3 Tb extra virgin olive oil
1 large onions thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 14 ounce can whole plum tomatoes
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
– Soak the porcini in 1 cup warm water
– Remove the short ribs from the marinade and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper.
– Strain the marinade into a bowl. Reserve the sachet of spices.
– Preheat oven to 325.
– Add two tablespoons oil into a Dutch Oven and brown the short ribs over medium heat (don't crowd). You'll probably need to do in two batches. Remove to tray when browned.
– Drain the mushrooms reserving the soaking liquid. Chop the mushrooms coarsely.
– When done browning the meat, discard the fat from the pot.
– Add the remaining oil to the pot and saute the garlic and onions until softened.
– Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, soaking liquid, and marinade and bring to a boil.
– Return the short ribs to the pot in a single layer. Add spice sachet and rosemary.
– Cover the pot with parchment paper until it almost touches the meat and hangs over the edges of the pot. Cover well and put into oven.
– Check after 10-15 minutes. If the braise is boiling, turn down the heat about 10-15 degrees.
– Check and turn every 45-60 minutes until it is tender but not falling to pieces. For me it was about 2 1/2 hours.
– Once the ribs are done remove to a plate and cover with foil.
– Degrease the braising liquid then transfer to a saucepan and bring the liquid to a simmer. Check for seasoning and reduce until the texture of a thick vinaigrette.
It turned out rather well.
You know I kinda like to have fun with Sammy. He acts like such a proud little mutt. No bunny ears this time. Sammy has a bit of a sweet tooth and loves peeps. So I call this one, "Sammy and his Peeps"…poor guy!
Happy Easter!