Chef in my own mind

Braised short ribs, Dorie style

Since joining the French Friday's with Dorie I have enjoyed viewing fellow food bloggers' creation of Dorie's "Around My French Table".  If you love to cook and want to have some fun and not be alone in trying french recipes, grab a copy of this delightful book and start cooking!  

The finished dinner was so comforting on a cold Friday evening!  I  added whole baby bella mushrooms that were first sauteed and seasoned in a little olive oil and butter then added them to the pot with the short ribs.  They are served over a bed of polenta, topped with gremolata and accompanied by some garlic toasts.  Wonderful dinner!

 

As with any recipe planning is paramount to success in cooking.  Short ribs are found in the markets, though not everyday.  I looked at the grocery store last week and found 12 ribs to be about $24.  Thinking I might find them in another place for comparison, I visited my ethnic grocery store, Global Foods over in Ashburn, VA and found them packaged in strips with 3 bones each.  One package had 12 bones and cost about the same as the other store.  These looked really nice so I brought them home.  

My antique cleaver is very sharp.  I had never used it until today...  I still have all my fingers.

Handsome, eh!   All I can say is to keep your knives sharp at all times and respect the tool you use.

Post broiler, seasoned with salt and pepper.  Resting, waiting for next step.  

Pre-prep on vegetables.  The white one is a parsnip.  Try these sometime if you haven't.  They are very a very nice component to a mashed dish such as mashed potatoes.  Cook sliced parsnips in the same pot as potatoes and then mash them along with the potatoes.  Those carrots were some of the larger carrots I have brought home.  They are very sweet.  They came in our February CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share.  

There is nothing as wonderful as herbs and spices.  These ingredients are why I love to cook!

Bouquet garni!

This was the best pot I had for assembling the braise.  I do not have an enameled dutch oven and was reluctant to use a cast iron pan that was not enameled since the recipe contained tomato and wine elements that would react with the iron pot.  This worked well.  

Don't you love tomato paste that comes in a tube?  It is a wonderful product.  Now most grocery stores carry such products.  Tomato paste in the tube is great when your recipe calls for less than about 4 tablespoons.    The tomato even in a small amount adds a beautiful depth to the finished dish without turning it into a tomato based braise.  

Of course you know I did not use the entire bottle of red wine in the pot!    All the veggie prep was done so it was safe to pour a glass.  Honest!  

I wish I had started this when I got home from work so it would be done by my bedtime...We were taking it out of the oven around 1130PM!  But I will tell you that the house smelled like braised short ribs, red wine and port!  (OK, so I need a new stove...)

The mushrooms begged to join the party, so I obliged.  

Just followed directions on the bag.  

I cooled the ribs down and refrigerated them overnight.  The next day the fat had risen to the top and was easy to carefully take off the top.  I pulled each rib out and used a small knife to cut the sinew off of each piece and any excess fat.  The bones were take out when they first emerged from the oven and discarded.    I figured that this much time went into this beautiful dish, it was worthy of getting the un-edible sinews out of the dish entirely.    I skimmed the vegetable solids out of the broth and discarded them leaving a nice, well flavored broth.  I pot this broth along with the meat back into the pot and eventually added the sauteed mushrooms.  

Now for the condiment: gremolata

I had never made this condiment.  Gremolata has its roots in italian cuisine.  It is a traditional condiment served with Osso bucco or similar braised dishes.  Its typical ingredients include garlic, parsley and a citrus element.  I used tangerine and the parsley because that is what I had.  I would love to try it using cilantro next time.  

Minced parsley, garlic and tangerine zest

As involved as this recipe was, it was a pleasure to work through from start to finish.  

Make something special for your family.  Try Short ribs with red wine and port from Dorie Greenspan's book "Around My French Table."  Join our little weekly cooking club, French Fridays with Dorie and join in the fun!  

Have a nice week.  

Variety is the spice of life...

bonnie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dorie's Pancetta Green Beans

Dorie?  Who is she?  

As I have ventured into the food world these past months I have learned about a Who's Who in the world of food.  Who are the movers and shakers?  

Dorie Greenspan is one of the movers and shakers.  Her story is unique and exciting and one that speaks of success and following her passion.  Lauded as a "culinary guru" Ms. Greenspan is shaking the food world with her addicting passion for french cooking.  My first introduction to who she is was reading through the egullet forums.  Dorie is a woman whose path I hope to cross someday.  She is much like Julia Child in the refreshing way she presents the art of french cooking.  

I watched Julia on TV with my mother when I grew up, never missing a single episode.  What I loved about Julia was how she was purely herself in her presentation on every show.  Sometimes she would make a mistake or spill something and that was OK.  Doesn't that happen to us when we cook?!  Of course.  

Now, on to today's piece.  I recently stumbled upon Dorie's food blog.  She has a club called French Fridays with Dorie.  There are some rules to be in the club and to be a part of the fun.  The first rule is that you get a copy of Dorie's newest and James Beard, award winning book:  "around my french table."    Each week, participants elect to cook a recipe and than post about it on their blog.  It is like a party with friends from all over cooking the same thing then sharing their experience.  It keeps it all fun.  

So my book arrived on Valentine's Day.  The recipe for this week is "pancetta green beans."  This was a great place to start since there are just a few ingredients.  I must say that I prepared Dorie's Chicken in a pot which is on the front cover.  I managed to find the recipe and had an organic chicken from my CSA that was just waiting to be put in the pot.  I will write about that recipe another time because it was homey, veggie, chicken, herbs, stock  and dough all in one pot.  

Sauteing pancetta in an iron skillet.  [This is my favorite pan for sauteing.  It came from an antique store.]  

Blanching green beans only takes a few minutes.  When five minutes is up, quickly remove them from the boiling water to a bowl of ice water in the sink.  This preserves the vibrant green color and keeps them from over cooking.  

Drying the blanched green beans on Bonnie's big 'buluptuous' Boos block.  I ordered this huge chopping block from Michael Ruhlman's new product website: OpenSky.  [Michael, I just LOVE my new block!  It is huge and heavy and fun.   My kitchen is classier now.]

 

Time to finish off the green beans in the same pan I cooked the pancetta.  The pancetta rendered a little fat, but left just enough to coat the beans.  This adds flavor. 

Add the pancetta, lightly season and dinner is ready.

Tonight's green beans with pancetta were accompanied by grilled butterflied lamb with homemade real mint jelly and lentils (Suvir's panchikuti dal).  This was a Friday night meal.  Sometimes you go with what you have in the fridge and this was the final result.  OK, so there were beans and lentils which are also beans, but all together they delighted us all.  

 

Simple and delicious overall, tonight's green beans were truly a hit.

Thanks Dorie.  I cannot wait for my next assignment!  

 

bonnie

Mezze lunch!

OK, now don't tell but I went to the Lebanese Taverna in Arlington for lunch yesterday.  

I normally work in an area that is not Arlington but my work brought me to the area for an appointment.  A work colleague frequents this ethnic haunt having introduced me to this place at least 10 years ago!  Thanks Jeff.  I just had to come today for lunch.  

The parking area is small but once you get inside there are a number of simple tables.   This may be the original location for the taverna which was started in 1979.  For over 30 years the Abi-Najm family have taken what was merely a dream back in 1976 when they immigrated to the US and made their dream come true.  Today the Lebanese Taverna boasts 6 restaurants, 5 cafes, a market in McLean, and cooking classes.  

I just enjoy little bites so looked for something on the menu that would give me a little variety.  I ordered the vegetarian mezze platter.  This is what came to my table along with some just-out-of-the oven whole wheat and regular white pita bread.  The bread was served with olive oil, sesame seeds and za'atar.      The latter is a combination of spices that most commonly consist of sesame seeds, thyme and ground sumac.  The overall taste is somewhat tart and citrusy.  

From the top left to right are tabouli, rice stuffed grape leaf, stewed beans, then eggplant ratatouille, eggplant (baba ghanoush), spinach pie, and finally, hommos, bean fritter (falafel) with tahini, and eggplant salad.    My favorites were the eggplant ratatouille, hommos and the falafel.  Let me just say that the falafel is a patty made out of crushed chickpeas, fava beans and spices, then are fried.  These were exceptionally moist unlike any I have had.  

I was prepared to have a take out box with whatever I could not finish, but the portions for each were no more than a tablespoon or two at the most, making for about 9 lovely bites on this plate.  How much more do you need to eat for lunch?  I did not feel full and was most satisfied so asked for the dessert menu and asked the waiter to bring me something that was light for the end to my meal.  

The homemade ice creams from left to right are chocolate, vanilla bean and pistachio.  Each flavor was full of their respective flavors.   I ordered turkish coffee, lightly sweetened to finish off a lovely meal.  

If you live in the area and have not tried the Lebanese Taverna, you must put this on your To Do list. 

I sent my colleague Jeff a pix of my lunch saying that I was thinking about "his place" and remembered when he brought me here over 10 years ago.  (I think he is a regular...)

Thank you, Jeff for bringing me here...

I can't wait to come back.  

Enjoy eating every day...

Shabu Shabu

Swish, swish is what shabu shabu is all about.  Very thinly sliced beef, an array of enoki & shitake mushrooms, bok choy, mung bean sprouts, dashi broth, noodles and highly seasoned sauces are what it is all about.  

Just a light and fun hands on meal that feels good all around.  

I developed a liking for shabu shabu when I travelled to Japan during my flying years.  We would take a nice walk from our layover hotels and go out for dinner at the shabu shabu place down in the alley in Shinjuku.  Our hotel was the luxurious Keio Plaza hotel right in the heart of the city.    We were close to the Shinjuku train station where you could take a subway just about anywhere in Tokyo.  Nowhere else can you feel your body clock overturned (from the US) than when you head west to Japan.  That cold Japanese beer just goes down so very easy after you have had a couple hours of nap after a 12+ hour transpacific flight.  

Shabu shabu is a japanese dish that you cook at the table.  It involves cooking very thinly sliced beef in a mildly seasoned broth (called dashi) along with vegetables.  With the addition of each ingredient the broth becomes even more flavored.  The dish is traditionally served with two sauces, a sesame sauce (goma) and the other is ponzu sauce.  I have tried the similar sukiyaki which is virtually similar but is much sweeter in taste.  

Rice is usually served with this dish but you can also serve udon or similar noodles.  Once all the meat and vegetables have been cooked and consumed, the broth is divided up among the participants and enjoyed along with the rice or noodles.  

To make your own shabu shabu you can use a fondue pot with a sterno can underneath or purchase a table heating element.  These I have seen in cooking supply stores or ethnic markets that cater to many asian cuisines.  I was out of sterno fuel and tried to use a candle but kept having to heat up the broth..this was a first try at home!  

Kombu dashi broth is made by gentle heating water and a 4x6" piece of kombu seaweed till it simmers but not to boiling.  Using tongs remove the kombu and discard or let dry for another use later.  Add a small packet of bonito flakes (called katsuobushi).

Now these are freeze dried, shaved into little thin slices and packaged.  

They will add flavor and nutrition to the broth but you will need to quickly drain your stock and discard so the bonito does not overpower your dashi.  

Assemble your vegetables, any of these:  

Bok choy, shitaki and enoki mushrooms, shredded savoy cabbage, shredded daikon radish, spring onions (green onions), cubed firm tofu, carrots, cellophane or udon noodles.  

Lay out your sliced beef on a plate, cover and chill till you are ready to take to the table.  

I cannot remember where I found my recipe for goma, but did a search and found both here.  There was no source for these but I will edit here if I locate a source.

Make your 2 sauces:  

Sesame Sauce ( Goma ) makes 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

3 oz. white sesame seeds.

3/4 cup dashi (Japanese broth)

6 tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tsp mirin

1 tbsp sugar

1-2 tbsp sake

Procedure:

1. Toast the white sesame seeds over medium heat. Be careful not to burn. Looking for brown color.

2. Grind toasted seeds in a suribachi (Japanese grinding bowl), or coffee grinder.

3. Add the remaining ingredients, and dilute with dash (chilled or room temperature, not hot). Stir well as you are adding each ingredients. Smooth out sauce with a spatula.

4. It may be stored up to 3 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. However, it is best with it is fresh. Stir before serving, since some of the sesame seeds may settled to the bottom.


Ponzu Sauce

makes about 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

1 cup lemon juice or combination of lemon and lime juice.

1/3 cup dark soy sauce

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1 cup dark soy sauce

2 tbsp tamari sauce

3 tbsp mirin

Procedure:

Mix all ingredients together. Taste to adjust the proportion of ingredients.

A suribachi is a Japanese grinding bowl.

I don't have one and have seen them in the stores.  Maybe one day I will break down and buy one..and when I do I will also get a Japanese ginger grater.  They look like a lot of fun also.  

My message to you is to have some fun with your family by doing something out of the ordinary; something a little different but something that involves you as a group like enjoying shabu shabu.  

Variety is the spice of life...

bonnie