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Braised Short Ribs

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Some meals can be almost as enjoyable to prepare as to eat.  Short ribs are an example of this, especially in cold blustery weather as we have been having this winter. Cooking them is a most pleasurable culinary experience, engaging all the senses from start to finish.

Thick well cut ribs are a joy to handle while rubbing in the seasonings.  Then there is the visual thrill of watching them beautifully brown before your eyes in the sizzling hot skillet. This begins to produce a mouthwatering aroma to savor,  while slowly nursing them along to desired tenderness.

As a final treat to the senses, I hear the sound of delighted exclamations from those coming to dinner whose appetites are peaked from shoveling snow out in the cold. Could anything be more heartwarming and rewarding than that?  Well yes….sitting down and eating one of my most favorite meals with them!

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Braised Short Ribs
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2 1/2-3hours
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Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
  2. Season short ribs with salt and pepper
  3. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
  4. Working in 2 batches, brown short ribs on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch.
  5. Transfer short ribs to a plate. Pour off all but 3 Tablespoons of drippings from pot.
  6. Add onions, carrots, and celery to pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until onions are browned, about 5 minutes.
  7. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring constantly, until well combined and deep red, 2-3 minutes.
  8. Stir in wine, Worcestershire and then add short ribs with any accumulated juices.
  9. Bring to a boil; lower heat to medium and simmer until wine is reduced by half, about 25 minutes.
  10. Add all herbs to pot along with garlic. Stir in stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven.
  11. Cook until short ribs are tender, 2–2 1/2 hours.
  12. Transfer short ribs to a platter. Strain sauce from pot into a measuring cup.
  13. Spoon fat from surface of sauce and discard; season sauce to taste with onion salt and pepper.

These short ribs are even better when they are cooked the day before.

Citrus Chicken Cutlets

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Last week the Food Network pronounced chicken to be currently the most popular choice of meat, and kale the most popular vegetable. I was not surprised about the chicken. I was a little  surprised about the kale, but also delighted because we still have a vibrant crop of it in our garden….healthy and wholesome as ever having survived wind, sleet, rain and snow….just like the old fashioned US Postman of the past.

I think most cooks would agree that it’s wise to always have a supply of chicken on hand, especially boneless breasts. They have saved many a chef from disaster in a time of crisis or emergency.

My recipe is one I concocted on the spur of the moment when I was suddenly called on to produce an unscheduled and completely unexpected  meal in a very short period of time, using only what was on hand, and available from the freezer, fridge, and pantry.  To my surprise and delight it was a success that received many compliments, while no one eating it ever knew the circumstances under which it came to be.

Citrus Chicken Cutlets on a chiffonade of garlic-sautéed Kale

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Citrus Chicken Cutlets
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Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Brown chicken in butter and oil.
  2. Remove and set aside in warm oven.
  3. Add thinly sliced onion to pan of chicken drippings and simmer slightly.
  4. Remove onions and add to chicken.
  5. Next stir remaining ingredients into pan of chicken drippings and simmer all together into a sauce. Leave sauce in pan. Remove from heat.
  6. Cut kale into long thin strips and sauté in oil with garlic.
  7. Cover and simmer until tender, adding water as needed.. Add salt to taste.
  8. Place chicken and onion slices in pan of sauce heating thoroughly until chicken is completely cooked but still tender and juicy.
  9. Serve on top of kale, pouring pan sauce over all and garnishing as desired.

Potato Leek Soup

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Nothing warms the heart quite like a piping hot cup of homemade soup with lunch on a nippy winter’s day. Lately, we’ve had lots of both……nippy winter days and hot cups of soup. Until you start making homemade soups you never realize how easy it is and what fun it can be coming up with the next new soup du jour to surprise and satisfy your hungry eaters.

Two days ago, I made one of my simplest and most favorite…..potato leek. We happen to still have a generous number of leeks in our gardens so they are available to us most of the winter, but if you are not as fortunate, onions can just as easily be substituted.  The flavor will just be a little more intense, since leeks are slightly milder in taste.

Last night we had a large amount of leftover broccoli from dinner. This morning I put the broccoli thru the blender and combined it with my leftover potato leek soup, adding some crumbled blue cheese and we enjoyed a zesty new taste treat today at lunch.  Use your imagination, and see what you come up with. There’s no end to the variations you can develop on the simple theme of Potato Leek soup.

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Potato Leek Soup
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COOK TIME
17-20minutes
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Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, add onion, leeks and potatoes, and sauté gently for 2-3 minutes, until soft but not brown.
  2. Pour in the stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
  3. Remove soup from the heat and let cool slightly.
  4. Transfer to a food processor or blender, in batches if necessary, and process to puree.
  5. Return soup to the rinsed-out pan and reheat gently. Add salt and pepper as desired.

Skewered Lamb Kebabs

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Last week lamb was on sale (something that does not occur too often), so I happily took advantage of it and bought a nice leg. In general, most people either really like this meat or do not like it at all. Few seem to be neutral about it, mainly, I think, because of its distinctive flavor, which is precisely what makes it appeal to lamb lovers.

I myself prefer it simply roasted or broiled, but for the sake of those whom I knew would like it a little more dressed up I decided to make colorful kabobs with a few favorite vegetables and serve it with Greek rice, the way my father always prepared it.

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Skewered Lamb Kebabs
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1 1/4hours
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Ingredients

Instructions

  1. The first step is to marinate the lamb preferably overnight, if possible, then cube the vegetables and add to the marinade for whatever length of time is convenient.
  2. Arrange both meat and vegetables on skewers that have been soaked in water for at least 1 hour.
  3. Broil for 12 to 15 minutes or until browned and to desired doneness, turning frequently.
  4. Prepare rice well in advance.
  5. Saute rice in oil and butter. Add salt, parsley, mint, garlic and water.
  6. Cover and simmer on low heat untill all liquid is absorbed and rice is thoroughly cooked, adding additional water if needed. The earlier the rice is cooked, the more flavorful it will be when served.

Chestnut Stuffing

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Last month Elements Theater Company presented two memorable weekends of Charles Dicken’s Christmas Carol in our church. Favorable comments were made about each little detail of the production, including one delightful feature that added much to my own enjoyment of the experience. This was the roasting of chestnuts out in the cold night air over an open fire in the church atrium before and after each performance.

 I think of Christmas time as chestnut season and since childhood chestnuts, along with pomegranates, have to me always been as essential as holly and ivy to its celebration. Not only did we enjoy eating the nuts warm out of the shell, but at our house they were always considered a necessary ingredient to our holiday stuffing. That’s what made it so special and different from the stuffing we had the rest of the year.

The combination of sausage, chestnuts, apples and savory herbs still remains in my memory as a most extraordinary culinary Christmas experience. But there’s no reason it can’t be enjoyed, even after the holidays while chestnuts are still available. Here’s my  suggestion for a cold winters night……stuff a nice crown or loin of pork and roast it for an unexpected, out of the ordinary dinner. I guarantee you rave reviews.

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Chestnut Stuffing
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30minutes
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Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Put sausage meat and butter into a hot casserole.
  2. Add onions and celery and cook until soft, but not brown.
  3. Remove from heat and add marjoram and thyme.
  4. In a bowl combine bread, vegetables, hot stock, cider, apples and chestnuts.
  5. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
  6. Place in covered baking dish and bake for 30 minutes or stuff into roast.
  7. Add a sprinkling of pomegranate at serving time for a touch of color and extra flavor.

Hearty Tuscan Kale Soup

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I went out to the gardens the other morning to see them-after they’d been put to bed a few weeks ago. This is always a  bittersweet moment for me each year. They were nicely raked and  everything all carefully harvested (which is to me the sad part).  That is, almost everything harvested, because I did spy something that suddenly gladdened my heart. …….a vibrant green patch of kale in the farthest corner. This means that one of the healthiest of green vegetables will be available to us all winter long. No need to rush and gather it  before the frost because the frost simply sweetens it and makes it more  flavorful.
I grew up on kale when it was not so widely recognized and used as it is today. Just during this past year kale has rapidly increased in popularity as awareness of its nutritional value has been discovered. One of the richest sources of vitamin C, it is a perfect  winter food.
I love it simply sautéed in fresh garlic and olive oil and  simmered till soft and tender the old Mediterranean way, but it also  makes a marvelous hearty Tuscan soup for a cold weather meal when served with good crusty bread.
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Hearty Tuscan Kale Soup
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40minutes
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Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Warm oil in a pot over medium heat.
  2. Saute sausage until browned, about 10 minutes; set aside.
  3. Add onion and celery; saute until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
  4. Add garlic and red pepper. Saute 1 minute.
  5. Pour in broth, raise heat to high and bring just to a boil, scraping up brown bits.
  6. Return sausage to pot; stir in tomatoes and beans. Bring back to a boil.
  7. Reduce heat to low, then simmer for 15 minutes.
  8. Season soup with salt and pepper. Stir in kale, cook until wilted, about 1 minute.
  9. Stir in parsley and top with Parmesan, if desired.