Braised Beef Short Ribs with Vegetables

I originally wanted to have soup for tonight's meal, but when I stopped at the grocery store the butcher was putting freshly cut beef short ribs on the shelf. I eyed them over and couldn't help to put two packs in my basket. As I thought about how I would prepare the beauties I began to salivate. So, yeah, the soup idea was out.

This is not a meal that you would prepare if you don't have a lot of time. The prep is easy, but the total cook time is from 2-3 hours. And let me tell you the wait is excruciating when the aroma of the wine, beef, vegetables, and fresh herbs braising away permeates the nose.

I decided to pair the short ribs with an exciting find from Trader Joes. It is called Harvest Grains Blend and it includes Israeli cous cous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans, and red quinoa. Very simple and quick to prepare too, unlike its partner tonight.

Braised Beef Short Ribs

• 3 lbs. beef short ribs trimmed of excess fat
• 2 Tbs vegetable oil
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
• Flour for dredging
• Salt and pepper for seasoning the beef
• 2 carrots sliced
• 1 cup crimini mushrooms roughly chopped
• 2 celery stalks sliced
• 1 med. onion medium diced
• 4 cloves of garlic roughly chopped roughly
  1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• about 8 fresh sage leaves
• handful of fresh parsley leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup red wine (I used a zin)
• 1 can beef broth
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 1 can diced tomatoes

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Season ribs liberally and dredge in flour shaking off the excess. Heat oil and butter in a large (3 inch deep sides) cast iron skillet over medium heat. Sear ribs on each side a set aside. Add vegetables and herbs and saute until onions are wilted and soft. Add garlic and saute for a couple minutes longer. Add wine and deglaze the pan making sure to get all the browned bits off the bottom. Let wine reduce by half (about 5-7 minutes) Add the bouillon broth and tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Carefully cover with foil and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2-2 1/2 hours until tender and falling off the bone.

Serve over prepared Harvest Grain mixture and enjoy with a glass of wine.

What a bite that was!

Hello Fall!

The weather sure has changed the past week. We now are fully into fall with cold mornings and mildly brisk afternoons. With that in mind, I set out to prepare a real fallish type meal fro this evening.

I picked up a butternut squash a few days ago, thinking of making a soup with it. Instead I decided to make a risotto. I was rolling the dice with this recipe because Chad isn't one to eat the squash type foods. After roasting the squash I spotted crimini mushrooms in the fridge. What the hell, right? I added those in the risotto as well.

For the main dish I needed to use up some chicken I had already defrosted a couple days ago. I didn't want plain 'ol grilled either. I was in the need for another fall staple. As I browsed through the pantry I spied some walnut pieces. Perfect. Walnut Crusted Chicken. Yum!

Very fulfilled with our meal tonight, (yes the husband ate the entire serving of risotto!) We sat back and enjoyed the rest of the evening watching the colorful fall leaves drop from the trees in our back yard. Okay, you got me. We just relaxed on the couch and watched Heroes. : )

Walnut and Panko Crusted Chicken Breast

• 1 1/2 lbs. chicken (I had 3 breasts) pounded to 1/2 inch thick
• 1 1/2 cup walnut pieces smashed
• 1 1/2 panko
• 2 tsp. rosemary
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 eggs
• flour for dredging
• 1/3 cup oil for frying

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and rosemary. On a plate mix together the walnuts and panko. Dredge chicken in flour, then egg, and finally the walnut mixture. Heat oil in a med. sized skillet and fry chicken for a few minutes on each side. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Butternut Squash and Crimini Risotto

Heat oven to 350

1 med. sized butternut squash (about 1 1/2 lbs.) cut in half and seeds and string removed
Drizzle olive oil over squash and sprinkle with salt. Cook on a baking sheet for about 45-50 minutes flesh side up. When finished roasting remove flesh and mash slightly.

• 2 cups short grain rice
  1/2 cup finely chopped onions
  3 cloves garlic minced
  2 tsp. herbes de provence
  4 Tbs. unsalted butter
  2 cups chopped crimini mushrooms
  1 tsp. fresh pepper
  1/2 cup white wine
• 6-7 cups chicken broth (I used 3 cans) kept heated in a sauce pan over low heat
• 1 Tbs. heavy cream
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
  

Heat butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add mushrooms, onions and squash. Cook until onions are soft, add garlic and cook a couple minutes more. Add herbes de provence and rice. Cook a few minutes and add wine. Let the wine deglaze and evaporate and start adding broth 2 ladles at a time until the last is just about evaporated. Add cream and parmesan and cook about 3-5 minutes more.

Zuppa Toscana and Pillsbury Rolls with a Twist

Today was a rainy, chilly, and very long day. I really wanted a good hearty soup (when don't I?). I browsed through my recipes and came across one of mine and Chad's favorites. Like many others, I discovered this soup at an Olive Garden restaurant. It seemed so simple to make so I took a shot one day and was pleasantly surprised how easy it was. Since then I have seen many recipes on the web for this soup and many have slightly different variations. I have my own, which is probably very close to some of the others out there.

I also did a little experimenting on some bread for tonight's dinner. I was in no mood to make homemade bread, and a trip to the grocery was out of the question. I noticed that I had a can of the Pillsbury Dinner Rolls in my fridge. I knew I didn't want something as plain as them so I decided to combine all the individual rolls together to make a bread. I couldn't stop there though, so I decided to roll it out and add roasted garlic, cheese, and oregano. It was pretty sticky when I first started rolling it out, so I added some flour and it became easier to roll out. Next time I will add the flour while combining the rolls together and let sit for about 10 minutes. The result was delicious, and went nicely with the soup. Tonight's meal was a perfect ending to a not so perfect day.

Zuppa Toscana

• 1lb mild italian sausage casings removed
• 1 tbs. olive oil
• 6 slices bacon chopped
• 2 medium sized potatoes and sliced in small half moons
• 10 + cups chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• About 4 cups torn Kale leaves
• 1 can drained and rinsed cannellini beans
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2/3 C. heavy cream
• Fresh ground pepper to taste

In a large stock pot heat olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage and break up with a wooden spoon. When cooked transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Add bacon and cook until slightly crispy. Remove and add to same plate as sausage. Drain all but 2 Tbs. or so of fat. Add onions and saute until soft, then add garlic, red pepper flakes and bay leaf and saute a couple minutes more. Add cold stock and remove all the stuck on bits on the bottom of the pan with your wooden spoon. Add potatoes and meat and bring to a boil. Simmer 15-20 minutes then add beans, kale and cream. Simmer 10 minutes more and serve.

Cheesy Bread

• 1 Can Pillsbury Dinner rolls combined into a ball
• 1 tbs. flour
• 1 tbs. unsalted butter cut into small pieces
• 2 Tbs. Parmesan
• 1 tbs. mozzarella
• 1 tsp. dried oregano divided
• 3 cloves roasted garlic
• olive oil to brush top
• Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine dinner rolls into a ball while adding flour. Put aside for about 10 minutes and dust rolling surface with flour. Roll out dough into a rectangle (it will be about a foot long and 3 inches wide). Spread dough with garlic and dot with butter. Sprinkle with cheese and fold in half. Brush top with olive oil and sprinke with a little more cheese. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden.

Dinner for One

I'm on my own again for dinner tonight so I decided to raid the refridgerator and make something for myself. I found lots of veggies, leftover chicken from a roaster I used for the empanadas the other night and homemade chicken stock. I was really craving soup, but I wanted something to go with it. I dedided on a vegetable soup with lentils and vermecelli paired with a chicken salad sandwich on a whole wheat english muffin. This dinner was super easy to make and it was done in under 45 minutes. I did have soup leftover, but all the better. Now I have lunch for tomorrow as well.

Vegetable Soup with Lentils and Vermecelli

• 1/4 cup of each diced: carrots, celery,onion,green pepper
• 1 cup chopped portabella mushrooms
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1 1/2 tbs. fresh flat leaf parsley chopped
• 1 tbs. olive oil
• a handful of frozen corn
• 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach
• 1/2 can diced tomatoes with the juice
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup green lentils
• 2 handfuls vermecelli broken into pieces (mine came in a bag already in one inch pieces)
• 5 1/2 cups chicken stock

Heat a soup pot over med. heat and add olive oil. Saute carrots,celery,onion and green pepper and portabellas until soft. Add garlic, parsley,tomatoes, spinach, basil, oregano and bay leaf and saute a few minutes more. Add chicken stock, frozen corn, lentils and vermecelli. Let simmer for 30 minutes and serve.

Chicken Salad

• 1 1/2 cup chicken meat cut up
• 2 tbs. chopped graped tomatoes
  
• 1 stalk celery diced
• 1 tbs. finely diced onion
• 1 tbs. chopped walnuts
• 1 tsp. fresh flat leaf parsley chopped
• 2 tsp. light mayo
• 2 tsp. light sour cream
• 1 tsp. white wne vinegar
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• dash or two of garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and let flavor meld in the refridgerator for about 20-25 minutes. Serve on toasted english muffins with lettuce.

Peanut Butter Cup Cake

I have been wanting to make this ever since Peabody of Culinary Concoctions by Peabody posted it in her blog. When I saw this cake, I immediately copied it and put it on my "to try" list so I could make it in the future. Everything in Peabody's blog is amazing, I mean really amazing. And whenever I have an itch to bake I tend to check out her blog to find unique ideas.

I decided to make the PB cake tonight because my girlfriend's birthday is tomorrow. Me and a few other friends are treating her to lunch (we are ordering in) so I thought this would be perfect occasion to make a special cake(s).

I bought little tart pans just for this recipe. I loved Peabody's presentation, so I wanted to replicate it. They turned out wonderfully (although not as pretty as Peabody's), and tasted even better.

Although time consuming for a non-baker (well, not an advanced baker that is), I am looking forward to making these again. Chad can't wait either (he loves Reeses Pb cups), he was out of town when I made them. Next time I'll be making them just for him.

Peanut Butter Peanut Butter Chip Cake

• 2 ounces unsalted butter


• 1 cup all purpose flour


• 1/4 tsp baking soda


• 1/4 tsp baking powder


• 1/4 tsp salt


• 1/2 cup tightly packed brown sugar


• 3 ounces creamy peanut butter


• 1 large


• egg yolk


• 1/4 cup sour cream


• 1/4 cup hot water


• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract


• 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
  

Preheat oven to 325F.
Grease three 9 x 1 1/2 inch pans.(I personally used just one 9 x 13 pan). Line your bottoms with parchment. Set aside.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Mix together brown sugar, peanut butter and butter for two minutes. Add egg and egg yolk and mix for another 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and mix for another minute.
Add half of the flour mixture and mix until incorporated about 20 seconds. Then add the sour cream, mixing again for 20 seconds. Gradually add the remaining flour mixture. Add the hot water in a slow, steady stream and mix on low to combine, about 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and mix for another 10 seconds. Add the peanut butter chips and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the ingredients until thoroughly combined.

Divide the cake batter into the prepared pans, spreading it evenly. Bake for about 22 minutes. If you have 4 inch diameter tart pans like I used, it takes the same amount of time to bake the cake, if not a few more minutes. Use a knife to see if it is done.

Source: Death by Chocolate Cake by Marcel Desaulniers

Chocolate Glaze
6 ounces semisweet chocolate

4 TBSP unsalted butter

Break chocolate into small pieces and place in a small stainless steel bowl over a pot of hot(not boiling)water. Melt the 4 TBSP butter in a small saucepan, and skim off the white foam that rises to the top. When chocolate is just melted, stir in the clarified butter(discard the white solids left behind). Set aside until chocolate is 86F.

Beef and Barley Stew with Portabellas

Even though the temperature outside isn't quite stew weather, I was in the mood for it nonetheless. I can't believe the weather lately, 80 degrees mid October?! I'm not sad by any means, I am not a fan of the cold, but I do worry that this weather trend is a bit odd.

Okay, back to the stew.. I never make beef stew without barley. It is one of those ingredients that I have to add or it doesn't seem complete. Stew recipes, beef in particular, are very diverse and I see many that add tomatoes. I'm not a fan of tomatoes in my beef stew so I omit them. I tend to add vegetables I have on hand but typically use the basics (carrots, celery, onions, potatoes, garlic). Tonight I decided to add some portabellas to make it a bit heartier. The stew turned out delicious and it was very comforting. Perfect for a long Monday at work.

Beef and Barley Stew with Portabellas

• 1 1/2 lbs. stew meat cut into cubes and seasoned with salt and pepper
• Salt for dredging
• 2 celery hearts chopped
• 1 large carrot chopped
• 1 small yellow onion diced
• 3 small or 2 medium white potatoes peeled and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 Tbs. fresh flat leaf parsly chopped
• 6oz. portabella mushrooms chopped
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 4 Tbs. canola oil
• 7 cups beef stock
• 1 1/4 cup pearl barley

Heat large pot over medium heat and add 2 Tbs. of oil. Add stew meat that has been dredged in flour. Sear until all sides are browned. Transfer to a plate. Add remaining oil and add all vegetables except garlic and potatoes. Saute until vegetables are wilted and soft and add garlic, potatoes, bay leaves, salt, pepper,thyme and parsley. Saute a coule minutes longer. Add wine and deglaze the bottom of the pan scraping browned bits off the bottom. Add stock and stew meat back to the pot. Bring to a boil and turn down to simmer 40 minutes. After 40 minutes add barley and let cook 45 minutes more. Serve in shallow bowls with dinner rolls or crusty bread.

Chipotle Chicken Empanadas, Spanish Rice and Sweet Plantains

Empanadas. One of my all time favorite foods. My family members and friends request that I make these whenever we have a function or get together. And I don't mind at all, I enjoy coming up with different fillings for these little fried beauties.

Tonight I made The filling with chicken. I went all out on this dish time wise because I was a little frugal at the grocery store. I wanted to originally make this with chicken pieces, but buying a whole 4lb. roaster was so much cheaper (Under $3!!). Not only do I get the variety of white and dark meat for the empanadas (plus some extra to freeze for a later meal) I get the carcass to make a chicken stock.

I seasoned the chicken with a spicy rub and a mixture of butter and olive oil and baked in the oven for an hour and 15 minutes.

I usually make my own empanada dough, but since I had some frozen disks defrosted I cut corners. I will only use one brand of frozen dough and that is La Saltena. I find that the other brands pale in comparison.

I made a spanish rice and fried sweet plantains to pair with the empanadas. A very well rounded dish, bursting with spiciness and flavor.

Whole Chicken

• 1 31/2 4 lb roaster giblets removed and rinsed
• 1 Tbs. unsalted butter melted
• 1Tbs. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp of each (cayenne,cumin,garlic powder,pepper,salt,oregano,chili powder0
• 1 onion quartered
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 small lime quartered
• couple sprigs fresh thyme

Combine spices, butter and olive oil in a small dish. Squeeze lime wedges in cavity of chicken and throw in the rinds. Add onion, garlic and thyme and tie legs together with buther twine.

Season the chicken liberally getting under the skin. Bake in a roasting rack at 350 for 1 hour 15 minutes or until juices run clear.

Remove chicken and let rest for 20 minutes or until cool to the touch. Remove as much meat as possible from chicken reserving 3-3 1/2 cups for emapnadas. Transfer any extra to ziplock and freeze for a later date.

Chipotle sauce for chicken

• 1 8oz. can tomato sauce
• 4 chipotle peppers seeds removed and chopped fine (I used the canned in adobo sauce)
• 2 tsp. adobo sauce
• 1/4 cup of each finely chopped (onion,green pepper,garlic)
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 Tbs. fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Tbs. olive oil

Heat oil over medium heat in a small skillet. Add onion and green pepper and saute until soft. Add garlic, parsley,oregano,cumin and bay leaf and saute a couple minutes more. Add tomato sauce, adobo, and chipotle peppers. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Add sauce to reserved chicken and mix well. Set aside to cool completely

Empanadas

Add about a Tbs. of filling to empanada disk and seal crimping edges with finger or fork.

Heat oil and fry until golden.

Spanish Rice

• 1 1/2 cup long grain rice
• 1 8oz. can tomato sauce
• 1/2 can of black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 Tbs. cumin
• 1 tsp. cayenne
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup of green peppers, onion, celery finely chopped
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• salt and pepper

In a medium sized pot add olive oil and heat over med. heat. Add onions, peppers and celery and saute until soft. Add garlic, spices and rice and saute for about 4 minutes. Add tomato sauce and blend well. Add stock and beans and bring to a boil. Let boil for a minute then turn burner down to low heat cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Fried Sweet Plaintains

• 1 over ripe plantain (maduro) Sliced in half and into 2" pieces
• oil for frying

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and add plantains. Fry on each side a few minutes and serve.

Deep Dish Pizza

Today was a very easy day for me. It was a teacher workday, which means no students, and we got to leave at noon. Fortunately, I had all my grades finished and I was planned for the next couple of weeks. So when I got to work I watched CNN for a bit and nested. I wasn't sure if I was going to cook tonight or not because Chad went out of town and wasn't due home until about 9. After taking an early afternoon nap, I started thinking about dinner. I knew that I didn't want to order out, and I wasn't up to going out either. So I started thinking about easy dinner recipes.

Friday nights used to be Pizza night when I was in high school, and because Chad loves pizza that was what I decided to make. I had no frozen Trader Joe's pizza dough, so that meant I needed to and make my own. I've made pizza dough many times before, but I was feeling adventureous and wanted to do something a bit different. I decided to to try my hand at deep dish pizza. I love Chicago style pizza, so this was a challenge and I was excited to take it on. I already Had some homemade marinara in the freezer form a previous meal so no worries about making the sauce. I did add a 1/2 cup of canned diced tomatoes to make the sauce a bit chunkier.

I'm happy to report that the pizza was delicious. My first deep dish, I'm so proud!

Deep Dish Pizza Dough

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 1/2 cups ap flour sifted
• 1/2 Cup yellow corn meal
• 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 Tbs. plus 2 more olive oil (use other 2 for bowl)

Put water in a big glass bowl and add yeast and mix together. Let sit for a couple of minutes until it starts to have tiny bubbles. Add flour, salt, sugar slowly stirring with a wooden spoon. when it gets to a less sticky consistency start mixing with your hands (remember to take off your rings!). Add cornmeal and olive oil and mix together until all ingredients are combined. Transfer to a lightly floured counter and knead until dough is smooth. Form dough into a ball, lightly oil a glass bowl with the remaining olive oil, and put the ball of dough in. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise to Double its size, this will take about an hour.

Toppings:

• 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
• 1/2 cup havarti sliced thin
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbs. dried oregano
• pepperoni slices (as many as you wish)
• 1 1/4 (this is an estimate) marinara sauce with diced tomatoes.
• 2 Tbs. large diced yellow onion
• 2 Tbs. fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Assembly:

Grease your cast iron skillet and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll dough into a rectangle and using hands make the closest to a circle with the dough as you can using your fists ( Do this off the counter, let gravity do its job). Transfer dough to a large cast iron skillet (I used a 12 "). Spread dough around the skillet and up the sides. Make it as even as possible. Let sit about 10-15 minutes so it can rise a bit. When the dough has risen, add 1 cup of the mozzarella. Top with 1 cup of the mozzarella then with the marinara and red pepper flakes and spread spread evenly with a spoon or spatula. Add pepperoni and then top with the remaining cheese and parsley. Cook on bottom rack for 15 minutes, then transfer to the top rack for about 5-10 minutes so the cheese gets nice and bubbly brown.

Let pizza rest about 10 minutes and cut into slices with a pizza cutter. Eat with a fork and a knife.

Milanesa and Parmesan Pesto Potatoes

So I'm still not feeling 100%, but I needed to prepare something for dinner. I defrosted the thin sliced bottom round I had in the freezer and that was about as far as I got with dinner ideas for next day's meal last night. I still wasn't sure about what to make until about 6:30 pm tonight, which is usually when I almost finished cooking dinner.

I decided I would make a childhood favorite of mine, milanesa. It is a very popular way to prepare meat in Argentina, and having a father from Argentina, I would eat this a few times a month when I was a kid. It is very similar to a weiner schnitzel. Don't be concerned with this cut of meat being tough, because it is sliced so thin that somehow it has tons of flavor and is not chewy. For a side I made parmesan pesto potatoes, a dish you don't really have to put a lot of effort into. When I was younger my mom always made homemade french fries with the milanesa. But because I was already frying the meat, I thought I would cut down on the grease.

Milanesa

• 1 lb thin cut bottom or top round seasoned with salt pepper and garlic powder on both sides.
• flour for dredging
• 2 eggs beaten
• seasoned bread crumbs preferably home made
• oil for frying

Preheat oil in a large skillet. Dredge meat in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs. Fry until golden on both sides.

Parmesan Pesto Potatoes

• 4-5 medium sized red potatoes
• 1/2 cup pesto (recipe follows)
• 2 tbs. parmesan
• salt and pepper

preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice potatoes into small pieces and put into a medium sized bowl. Pour pesto over the potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle the parmesan. Mix until well coated. Line a baking sheet with foil, and bake 35-40 minutes or until nicely browned and crispy.

Pesto

• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 Tbs. pine nuts

Put basil, parsley, pine nuts and garlic into a food processor. Pulse a few times and then turn on low and drizzle olive oil through the feeder. Let process for about 30-45 seconds until smooth.