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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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COOK TIME
2 1/2-3hours
PREP TIME
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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.

Chicken Pot Pie

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This week I am in an unfamiliar kitchen that is “equipment-challenged.” Anyone that has worked with me will tell you I am a “from-scratch” cook and have been known to look down on packaged mixes and ready made products. However in my older years I am mellowing in my opinions… So when I wanted to make chicken-pot-pie for a crowd this week and knew I lacked a pastry cutter and rolling pin, I realized that this was one of those moments to put aside pride! So off to the store for some pre-made pie crust. I did however make my own broth. Why waste boiling a whole chicken? Chicken-pot-pie is almost the first thing I think of when the leaves start to turn in earnest.

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Chicken Pot Pie
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COOK TIME
30-35minutes
PREP TIME
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Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Put all of these ingredients in a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil.
  2. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked.
  3. Remove chicken and set aside. Keep simmering broth.
  4. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove meat from the bones and return the bones to the broth.
  5. Continue cooking until you have about 4 to 6 cups of broth, after straining through a colander. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  6. Melt butter in a stock pot
  7. Add onion, carrots, celery, parsnips and mushrooms and cook, stirring for about 5 minutes.
  8. Add thyme and cook another minute.
  9. Add flour and cook again another couple of minutes, stirring constantly.
  10. Add 4 cups of the stock and bring to a boil to thicken.
  11. Turn heat down and simmer a few minutes until vegetables begin to get tender.
  12. Chop chicken into chunks and add that and parsley to the pot.
  13. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  14. Pile into a 9″ glass pie plate. Sprinkle peas on top.
  15. Place crust over all, crimp edge decoratively. Brush egg wash over crust. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 to 35 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Savory Herbed Chorizo Chicken

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Sometimes color can be almost as important as flavor in producing a successful recipe.  That is one of the reasons I find so much joy in using fresh garden vegetables, whether they are cooked into the dish or simply used as a garnish or an accompaniment.  Fresh herbs can also enhance an otherwise plain or ordinary entrée.

Right now our gardens are rich with a profusion of healthy herbs — so lush and fragrant that when I am in the midst of them I understand why Paddington, the cat, would often lie right down and roll around in a bed of them. I love to keep a collection of freshly picked herbs in front of me on the kitchen counter where I can bury my face in them from time to time and remember to include them in whatever I may be cooking.

Today I am making savory herbed chorizo chicken breasts using both garden vegetables and herbs to notify both the eye and the palette.

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Savory Herbed Chorizo Chicken
4 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves ½ teaspoon salt, divided ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Cooking spray ¼ cup Mexican pork chorizo, casings removed ¼ cup sliced onion 2 tablespoons diced carrot ¼ cup diced yellow bell pepper ¼ cup diced red bell pepper ¼ cup white wine 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
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COOK TIME
18mins.
PREP TIME
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Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.
  2. Sprinkle chicken with ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper.
  3. Coat pan with cooking spray.
  4. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done.
  5. While chicken cooks, heat a large skillet over medium – high heat.
  6. Add chorizo; cook 1 minute, stirring to crumble.
  7. Add remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, onion, and carrot; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  8. Add bell peppers; cook 1 minute or until crisp-tender.
  9. Add wine, cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.
  10. Spoon chorizo mixture over chicken; top with cilantro or any choice of fresh herbs ( rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage)

Improvised Broccoli Salad

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As I write this, it is raining. I think not too long ago I was writing about all of the rain and cold we were having. (I will never complain about that again!) It’s finally been so dry that the garden could be tilled, and the tomatoes are being planted. I feel like having a party! Its the time of year that I try and think of what I can cook with the least amount of stove or oven usage.
I was recently cooking for a group, and not in the kitchen I am used to, which did not have a fully stocked pantry. I wanted to make a broccoli salad, so found a couple of recipes that looked promising, but of course did not have exactly what was called for, especially in the vinegar department. So, of course I would have to improvise.  It was a no cook broccoli salad with a mayonnaise, vinegar sugar dressing. I remembered that there was a bottle of white balsamic vinegar in the cupboard – ah sweet! I also wanted to cut down on the amount of mayonnaise, and use it more like the oil in the dressing, and I must say that balsamic can cover a multitude of sins. So, here is my version of fresh broccoli salad, improv style.

Improvised Broccoli Salad

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Improvised Broccoli Salad
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7servings
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servings
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Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Trim off the large leaves from the broccoli stem.
  2. Remove the tough stalk at the end and wash broccoli head well.
  3. Cut the head into bite-size flowerets and the stem into bite size pieces.
  4. Place in a large bowl.
  5. Add the bacon, onion, raisins, and carrot.
  6. In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients, stirring well.
  7. Add to broccoli mixture and toss gently.
  8. Last of all add in the tomatoes and toss again gently.
  9. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Asian Chicken Salad

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Now that spring is definitely here to stay we want to turn to warmer weather needs—dishes that are fresher and lighter and require less cooking. Here’s where plump tender chicken breasts can be so accommodating—offering endless possibilities. Last week one of the sisters gave a “Birthday Gift” lunch to a young community girl who loves Asian food. The result  was a delicious and attractive chicken salad. That inspired me to have something similar made for the convent lunch the next day. Both versions were a success, similar in some ways, yet each quite different in others. Here’s my Basic Asian Chicken Salad that you can alter to your liking—adding to or taking away any ingredients that do or don’t appeal to you.

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Asian Chicken Salad
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2servings
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servings
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Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Chop or thinly slice grilled chicken; set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the spicy ginger dressing.
  3. Add the cabbage, chicken, carrots, spinach, tomato, mint and cilantro to the large bowl and toss gently.
  4. Top with mango slices and roasted peanuts. Garnish with scallions and roasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Mushroom Beef Barley Soup

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The kitchen was really busy last night. Eight of us were buzzing around cooking for an upcoming party. Really great energy. As much as I think I am a person who prefers to be alone, I love the energy of being in the kitchen with a crowd of people. Don’t get me wrong — there is something  to cooking alone — being there in the quiet, creating something delicious for someone else to enjoy. It ministers to my spirit, and I sometimes get great ideas and thoughts about other projects. But a group that is working well together, chaotic as it might be, also ministers to the whole group in a way that can’t be duplicated. In the middle of this I was putting together my favorite Beef Mushroom Barley soup for guests and a retreat group the next day. What could be better on a cold rainy day! My brother in law just came through and tasted the soup. He said it needed some red wine, so I added a splash. He was so right!

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Mushroom Beef Barley Soup
SERVINGS
6servings
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servings
COOK TIME
8-10mins.
PREP TIME
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Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Pour boiling water over dried mushrooms to cover, set aside.
  2. In a large soup pot, saute beef in 1 Tablespoon oil until browned, 5 to 7 minutes, remove from pan.
  3. In the same pot, with the other Tablespoon of oil, cook your carrots, onions, leeks, celery and baby bella mushrooms until just browned, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  4. Stir in barley and thyme and cook for another minute.
  5. Add the beef broth.
  6. Drain dried mushrooms in a sieve, and add that liquid also to the pot.
  7. Chop the mushrooms until fine, and add those.
  8. Toss in the bay leaves.
  9. Simmer until meat is tender and barley cooked (about an hour for the beef tenders, and longer for the stew meat).
  10. A little while before serving pour in the wine, and heat again.
  11. Add kosher salt and ground pepper to taste. This can be made 2 or 3 days in advance — it will taste even better if made ahead.