Braised Beef Short Ribs

This is one of my favorite cold weather dishes.It takes a few hours to cook but it sure is worth the effort.Once the meat is done cooking I strain off the cooking liquid and fat then make gravy from it.There are many variations of this dish but most involve braising which is one of my favorite techniques.Hope you enjoy my version!

Ingredients:
3 to 4 pounds bone in short ribs
1 1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup shallot
1 cup carrot
1 cup celery
4 mushrooms (sliced)
6 slices bacon (diced)
2 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic
a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme
1 bottle of dry red wine
4 cups beef stock

Seasoned flour:
2 cups flour
1 tbls paprika
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp salt
combine all ingredients until well mixed

Roux for gravy equal parts melted flour and butter.The amount depends on the liquid you have left after cooking I use about 4 to 5 tbls.Use the seasoned flour from the dredge

1 piece of parchment paper cut to fit the inside of your pot




start by getting your mise en place together

next coat ribs with flour and pat off excess

now open the wine pour the whole bottle in and bring to a boil,once at a boil light it on fire but be careful! the flame was about two feet high but the picture didn't pick it up cause it was blue

reduce the wine by 2/3 the wine i used was menage a trois in the picture above it's a blend of cab sav,merlot and zinfandel,and it's really good to drink too..about 8 bucks

now set a heavy pot over med. high heat add a drizzle of oil then brown ribs on all sides

once ribs are browned add bacon and cook for about 2 minutes then add mirepoix and saute for 5 minutes more

now add reduced wine,mushrooms,bay leaf and herbs

saute a few more minutes more then put the ribs in and cover with stock and water if needed

now top with the paper,this acts like a lid but lets the liquid concentrate and helps caramelization as well.Pop it in a 350 oven for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until meat is fork tender

Here is the roux I made this while the ribs were in the oven then I set it aside

this pic is after 3 hours,look at how much liquid has evaporated and the dark brown goodness in the pot

remove ribs from pot and let rest covered with foil,strain liquid through a mesh strainer and let sit to let the fat come to the top then skim it off and strain again

heat the roux back up and slowly add the liquid little by little until well combined,whisk and bring to a boil,once it starts to thicken reduce to a simmer and cook a few minutes more,it will get thicker as it stands

here is a plated dish on a bed of riced potatoes topped with gravy and chives

this will have your whole house smelling wonderful!

Hot Wings

Hot wings are so good,super cheap and most people love them.This is more of a technique than a recipe,first I start off with a buttermilk and hot sauce marinade seasoned up with spices.The hot sauce which adds flavor but no heat is vinegar based and contains acetic acid a tenderizer and the buttermilk has lactic acid which is another tenderizer.These could be breaded and fried for a southern fried style but I cook them indirectly over a slow grill for about a hour to get a slight smokey flavor,then they are finished off in a deep fryer for a few minutes..this way produced some of the best wings I have ever made,fully cooked through,super crispy and delicious!


Ingredients:
1 big pack of wings(about 18 to 20)
1 quart buttermilk
1 16oz bottle of Frank's red hot sauce(or your favorite)
1 tsp cayenne powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 gallon of oil for frying
1/2 stick melted butter and 1/2 bottle of hot sauce mixed for coating the wings

combine all ingredients except chicken and whisk until well combined,put chicken in a plastic bag and cover with marinade,let sit overnight or at least a few hours,drain chicken and pat dry with paper towels,meanwhile start the bbq or oven at 350(bbq is best)

this is about 45 minutes in they are almost ready to go in the oil at this point.

just out of the oil,they only cooked about 2 minutes a batch.Look at that beautiful color and they are super crispy at this point and ready to be coated with sauce

after being coated with sauce.serve with blue cheese or ranch and celery!..Delicious!

Max's Clam Chowder

This recipe was passed down to me today from a good friend of mine,Max Becker (a 04 C.I.A. grad)who I turn to for any advice I need about food!..What a great friend and mentor!..Anyway he has made hundreds of gallons of this soup..he made it daily for a long time and now it's passed to me and when something is made over and over..perfection is bound to happen!.It's the perfect time of year for this dish


Ingredients:
White mirepoix:
2 cups white onion(diced)
1 cup leeks(diced)
1 cup celery (diced)
Sachet:
5 to 7 whole peppercorns
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme
wrap everything up into a square piece of cheesecloth and tie with butcher twine leaving about 10 inches to tie to the pot
Bacon Roux:
8 strips bacon cut into lardons
1/2 stick butter
3/4 butter
cook bacon until fat is rendered,add butter until melted then add flour until combined,cook until blonde and nutty smelling,about 7 minutes.remove from heat and set aside
1 pound small red potatoes
2 pounds littleneck clams
16 oz clam juice
2 6.5 oz cans minced clams
1 quart heavy whipping cream(scalded)
2 cups water
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tsp worchestershire sauce
1 tsp tabasco sauce
1 tsp white pepper
1 bunch fresh chives(garnish)
salt and pepper to taste

to start off sweat mirepoix in a heavy pot or dutch oven

add clam juice,water and tie sachet to pot with string and bring to a boil when boiling add potatoes and cook for about 30 minutes.Next add the bacon roux to the pot and stir until combined


let come back up to a boil,then reduce to a simmer and cook 20 minutes.Add scalded cream and canned clams and cook another 10 minutes

in a large skillet add a drizzle of olive oil then add clams

let clams cook for a few minutes then deglaze pan with wine and cover until all clams open about 5 min,remove clams and reduce liquid by half

now add clams and reduced liquid to pot and stir through,cook a few more minutes or until thickened,remove sachet and garnish with chives and maybe some oyster crackers..this dish was outstanding!..thanks again Max!

Carnitas

This dish is really simple,uses a cheap cut of meat and it's sooo good!Carnitas mean "little meats "in spanish.Growing up in So Cal there is an abundance of mexican joints in every city or so it seems so i have had my share.Anyway this recipe was handed down to me from a friend's grandma i have added my own touch like i do to almost all the recipes i come upon.This could be stripped down to just simple salted and braised meat.I love spice so i kicked it up i also used stock instead of water.Another and more traditional way is to fry the meat in a huge pot of lard with orange slices and a coca-cola added to help caramelize it but thats for another time..here we go!

4 pounds pork butt(or shoulder,country style or picnic they are the same cut)
1 1/2 cups beef stock
1 shallot thin sliced
3 cloves garlic thin sliced
3 bay leaves
2 dry guajillo peppers
1 tbls chili powder
1/2 tsp ground corriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
salt
lard
flour


First salt and pepper the meat and dust with a light coat of flour

now add about a heaping tablespoon of lard to a hot pan and brown the meat on all sides.turning it until its nice and golden

once it's browned pull it out to a plate.this is what the French call fond,crusty brown goodness!

now saute the shallot first for about 3 min then add garlic and saute 1 min more,add spices,peppers and bay leaves to the stock,then deglaze pan with the stock making sure to scrape the pan clean and get all of that brown goodness off the bottom

now pop the pork back into the pan and put it in a 350 oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until fork tender this picture is after 2 1/2 hours the fat has rendered and the stock has been evaporated

now pull meat out of pan and let cool,meanwhile strain the fat so the garlic and shallot don't burn

once the meat has cooled a bit shred it by hand into bite size pieces and add the fat back to a hot pan.i switched to a non stick at this point

fry the meat until it's crispy

now make it into your favorite taco,tostada,enchilada or what ever dish you like..it tastes great with a little heat..Enjoy!

San Diego Football Weekend

This past weekend me and four friends went down to San Diego for the Ravens vs Chargers game.One friend is a Bolts die hard and the other is a second year fan of the Ravens anyway the first night we went down to Ocean Beach..kinda of Haight and Ashbury of S.D..lots of old hippies,stoners,surfers and laid back people in general..the place we ate at down there has some of the best fish taco's ever!..lots of different kinds of fish,killer calamari,shrimp stuffed jalapeno poppers the list could go on and on

South Beach bar and grill
The next day we went up the hill from our hotel to Hash House A GO GO..I've been to the one in Vegas but this one is the original..twisted farm food is what they call it..I call it giant.

Andy's fried chicken on bacon mashed potatoes,fried eggs,fruit and maple reduction

left to right,sage chicken,truck driver french toast,hash skillet,gravy covered chicken

Now on to a little comedy..being guys and drinking we talk a lot of shit back and forth and make up names for each other..kinda like big kids..anyway my friend Larry and Shane kept joking it up and named me Dr Bunson Honeydew from the muppets and Larry named Shane beaker..so here is a pic of Me and Shane(Beaker and Bunson)we laughed all weekend about it..hope you get a laugh too..Oh and by the way Shane I told you I'd post this shit!

Chicken Saltimboca (Reconstructed)Coast to Coast

Saltimboca means to "jump in the mouth" and this dish does it!..as i have mentioned before i started this blog with help from everyone from Bakespace and we just started to do coast to coast cooking challenges..someone picks a dish and we all make it our own way...so here is my version of saltimboca...it's made flat or rolled..most typically with sage and prosciutto topped with a wine pan sauce..i've made it both ways but everyone likes this way the best and i've made it more than a few times..I replace the pan sauce with a thick rich artichoke alfredo sauce..i also add provolone cheese along with basil,sage,crushed red pepper,garlic powder, black pepper and the prosciutto..then it's crusted with a panko parmigiano mix and fried till golden brown..it's almost like an Italian cordon blue!

Ingredients:
chicken breasts
prosciutto
sliced provolone
fresh sage
fresh basil
garlic powder
onion powder
crushed red pepper
salt and pepper


Method:
Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap and line up chicken in a row,put another piece of plastic over the top and pound with a mallet until about a 1/4 inch thick,remove top piece of plastic,sprinkle with spices in an even layer,then the herbs,then a slice of cheese followed by the prosciuttonext i laid out a smaller sheet for each piece of chicken and rolled it up tightly,let the chicken set for at least 2 hours or overnightnext i used a standard breading procedure(forgot a pic)starting with flour,egg wash and then a mix of panko bread crumbs and parmigiano cheese(about 50/50 mix)and pan fried them till golden brown

Artichoke Alfredo Sauce
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 sticks butter
2 1/2 cups Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese(no green can stuff!)
4 oz diced pancetta
2 shallots
3 cloves garlic
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts(rinsed and drained)
1/2 bottle of white wine(i used pinot grigio )

Method:
start with a little olive oil in a sauce pan,brown pancetta until fat is rendered and remove from pan,add shallots and saute about 3 min,add garlic and saute a few more,deglaze pan with wine and reduce to about 1/4 cup


once reduced strain off liquid and reserve,slowly melt the butter into the reduction,once butter is incorporated add scalded cream slowly to pan,once thickened about 8 to 10 minutes,add cheese and artichoke hearts,cook a few minutes more season with salt and pepper to taste,sauce will thicken upon standing

serve with your favorite pasta and here is the plated dish



here are pics and links to everyone's blogs
Michele
http://myitaliangrandmother.blogspot.com/2009/09/chicken-saltimbocca-pasta-toss-coast-to.html

Shane's
http://culinaryalchemist.blogspot.com/2009/09/cooking-coast-to-coast-saltimbocca-al.html

Spryte's

http://sprytesplace.blogspot.com/2009/08/chicken-saltimbocca.html

Monica's

http://alaskandermishinthekitch.blogspot.com/2009/09/saltimbocca-bakespace-coast-to-coast.html

Dajana's

http://dajana-bakerscorner.blogspot.com/2009/09/coast-to-coast-and-overseas-cooking.html

Cathy's
http://thedutchbakersdaughter.blogspot.com/2009/09/coast-to-coast-cooking-chicken.html

DD's

http://ddpiesslice.blogspot.com/2009/09/cooking-coast-to-coast-saltimbocca.html

Sheryle's

http://cookiebakerscorner.blogspot.com/2009/09/chicken-saltimbocca-with-lemon-sauce.html

Danielle's

http://peacefulcooking.blogspot.com/2009/08/saltimbocca-coast-to-coast-and-overseas.html

Pamela's

http://pamelaspalace2.blogspot.com/2009/08/saltimboccafor-coast-to-coast-cookoff.html

And here is a map link of where everyone is from
http://data.mapchannels.com/mc3/7109/saltimbocca_7109.htm?v=3&x=-69.153442&y=46.523669&z=2&t=0&f=1