David Lebovitz's Fantastic Braised Short Rib Recipe

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
This is a great recipe to make on a cold winter day. It's rich in flavors and delicious! Serves 6 to 8.

Ingredients
10 beef short ribs (rib pieces cut into 3 to 4-inch chunks)
Salt and freshly-ground pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups dark beer
10 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1 cup hoisin sauce

Procedure
Toss the ribs in salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large roasting pan and fry the short ribs until each side is very dark and well-caramelized. Don’t skimp! It may take up to an hour to get them all done. If your pan isn’t big enough, you can brown them in batches, or do some in a separate pan. Remove the ribs from the pan, then turn off the heat and deglaze the pan with the beer. Scrape up the browned bits stuck to the pan with a firm spatula, then add the garlic and ginger, stirring to cook them in a residual heat of the pan.

Preheat the oven to 325F. Add the ribs back to the pan and mix in the vinegar, chocolate, and chili powder. Cover and let simmer for 3 hours, turning the short ribs a few times while they’re cooking. The ribs are done when they’re fork-tender and falling off the bone. (During cooking, you may need to add a bit of water to the pan if the liquid evaporates too much.) Remove the cover, stir in the hoisin sauce, reduce the heat to 300C and cook for another 30 minutes.Serve with mashed potatoes and sautéed greens. I like to serve this with freshly-grated horseradish mixed with crème fraîche, a squeeze of lemon juice, and chives.

Guest Bram Meehan: Ropa Vieja

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
I first had ropa vieja ("old clothes" or "old rags," because of how it looks) at the Little Havana Café in Clarendon. There we discovered that Cuban food isn't hot and spicy, but slow-cooked and savory.

This kind of became the day-after-Thanksgiving tradition when we used spend the holiday in a cabin in West Virginia with friends. It's easy to adapt the recipe for varying quantities, it doesn't require a lot of ingredients, travels well, and it's easy for people, based on how well they're recovering from Thanksgiving, to eat as much as they want. Plus, it's really easy to make.

Ropa Vieja

from Good Old Food by Irena Chalmers
Ingredients
2 pounds beef flank steak
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt and pepper
2 teaspoons peanut oil or olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper or more
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups tomato sauce
1 cup chopped tomatoes or more; I generally used canned

Procedure
Put the beef in a large pot (I use a dutch oven for the whole process) and add enough cold water to cover. Simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, until meat is tender. Lift meat from the pot, reserving liquid. When the beef is cool, shred with a fork.

Combine vinegar, lemon juice, and crushed garlic. Add shredded beef and stir to coat; add salt and pepper and marinate at least 45 minutes. I generally increase the quantities of marinade ingredients by a fair amount, maintaining the proportions; that marinade barely coats the meat even then. Usually, I do this all the night before, and refrigerate the meat.

Heat oil the dutch oven; add onion and green pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring, for about five minutes. Add chopped garlic and cook for 2–3 minutes more. Add tomato sauce, chopped tomatoes, and 1 cup of reserved liquid (saving the rest for later and/or for cooking the black beans). Cook over moderate heat for at about 20 minutes. Add beef to add the sauce. Simmer at least long enough to heat the beef through … or just let it cook for hours, adding more reserved liquid as needed.

Serve over rice with black beans.

Serves 6 to 8.

Two Cuban Recipes - Ropa Vieja and Papas Rellenas

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
So just because it's fun, let's take a little trip to Cuba for today’s recipe inspiration. It was Bram's idea, and he usually has good ideas. Here's my version, which you make in a slow cooker.

Crockpot Ropa Vieja

Ingrdients
1 1/2 to 2 pounds beef flank steak
1/2 green pepper sliced into strips

1/2 Spanish onion, sliced into strips

2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. coarse Black Pepper

1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 cup red wine

Procedure
Put all these ingredients into the crockpot in order. Add water to just cover the steak. Set it on low and cook for 6 to 8 hours. When the meat is very tender (comes apart with a fork), remove from the crockpot and finely shred it into a separate dish. Then make the sauce.

Ingredients for sauce
the pepper, garlic,and onion from the crockpot

3 tbsp. Olive oil
2 cups beef broth

1 small can tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste

1 tsp. oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
With a slotted spoon, remove the onion, garlic and peppers from the crockpot and sauté in a large frying pan. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste and beef broth. 
Add the shredded beef to the tomato mixture and cook together for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with black beans and rice.

And now for something completely different. How about Cuban Papas Rellenas? (AKA meat-stuffed, deep-fried, Potato balls!)

Cuban Papas Rellenas

Ingredients
2 lbs large potatoes (peeled and cut into quarters)

1 lb picadillo (seasoned ground beef, see below)
Vegetable oil for frying
1 cup dry bread crumbs

4 eggs

1 tsp salt

Procedure
Add salt to a pot of cold water, and boil the potatoes until they are soft. Drain the potatoes, and then mash them, then set aside to allow them to cool. Separate the egg yolks from the whites in two bowls. Mix the egg yolks into the mashed potato mixture, whisk the egg whites for a minute. 
Take a 1/4 of a cup of the mashed potatoes, and form it into a ball. Make a dent in the ball, to give it more of a bowl shape. Fill the indentation with a tablespoon of picadillo, and then reseal it. Reshape the potato as a ball again. Dip the ball in the egg whites, then roll the ball around in bread crumbs until it is coated. For a better coating, or for a crunchier texture, you may dip the ball into the egg whites again and coat it with another layer of bread crumbs. Refrigerate the potato balls for at least four hours before frying. To fry, pour enough oil into a skillet or frying pan to cover half of the balls, the oil should be at least 350°. Place several balls into the frying pan and cook on each side until golden brown, usually 2-3 minutes, taking care not to overcook. Drain the stuffed potatoes on paper towels, do not stack them.The other cooking method is to deep fry the papas rellenas at 375° until golden brown, they cook best deep-fried when they are frozen.

Ingredients for Picadillo
1 lb ground meat
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 small can tomato sauce

1/4 cup dry white wine
Pimiento stuffed olives

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
In a large skillet, brown the ground meat, onions and garlic. If meat is not too lean, pour out whatever fat you render.Turn heat down to medium low. Add the tomato sauce and wine. While it simmers, chop up the pimiento stuffed olives and add to meat mixture, it is a great idea to add a little bit of the brine to the mixture. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Make them small and serve as hors d’oeuvres! Invite me.

Lamb Kefta

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
I helped open a Moroccan restaurant when I lived in London. It was called Yasmina’s and it was in North London. I learned so much from Yasmina. I learned she loved to cook in her bare feet, I learned she thought it was okay to put the food on the floor to cool. I learned good things too. She was the only one allowed to make the cous-cous because it needed to be rubbed in a very particular way. She also made the best Harrisa soup I have ever had, and she never let me see the recipe. But mostly I developed a love for the complex flavors of Moroccan cuisine. We made so many great dishes — some of which you can’t do here. We used to grill lamb liver on rosemary skewers as an app, we used to also grill fresh sardines and serve them with a spicy Chile sauce, they were divine. We also used to make lamb kefta which is like flattened spicy meatballs. This recipe, though not totally traditional, has those flavorings.

Ingredients for meatballs
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup currants
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspon Harissa (red chile paste)
1 1/2 pounds ground beef or lamb
1 egg white

Ingredients for sauce
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 28 ounce can coarsely chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
cilantro to garnish

Procedure
Combine all ingredients in meatball list in a bowl. Shape mixture into 30 meatballs. Heat a large skillet over medium heat; add a little olive oil and cook 1/2 the meat balls at once till they brown nicely shake the pan often. Take out of the pan set aside and cook the rest of the meatballs. Now prepare the sauce, sauté the onion in a saucepan with a little olive oil. Next add the fennel, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt. Once that sautés and smells yummy add the tomato products and the orange zest. Bring to a boil add the meatballs, cover and simmer about 2o minutes till meatballs are cooked. Taste and adjust seasoning. If you want heat add some harissa to the pot. Serve over cous cous and some roast vegetables. Garnish with cilantro

Two Coffee Rubs for Meat

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Really good steak requires nothing but salt and pepper and a good grill, if you ask me. But sometimes you just want to get a little fancier. I am not a fan of sauce on steak — I don’t think it's necessary — but an occasional rub on the outside can be a good thing. So here are two very interesting treatments for steak using coffee.

Coffee-Rubbed Rib Eye from Bobby Flay

Ingredients
1/4 cup ancho chili powder
1/4 cup finely ground espresso
2 tablespoons Spanish paprika
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons chili de arbol powder
2 bone-in or boneless rib eye steaks, 2-inches thick, approximately 1 1/2 pounds each
Canola or olive oil
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper

Procedure
Combine all spices in a bowl. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Preheat a cast iron pan over high heat. Brush each side of the steak with oil and then season each side liberally with salt and pepper. Rub 2 tablespoons of the coffee rub onto 1 side of each steak. Cook the steak, rub side down until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the steak over, cook for 2 minutes and then transfer to a baking sheet and cook in the oven to medium-rare doneness, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Coffee-Cured Beef Tenderloin

Ingredients
1 Tenderloin of beef, or buffalo or elk
2 tbl Ground coffee (preferably espresso beans)
2 tbl Light brown sugar
1 tsp Ground cumin
2 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp Fresh ground white pepper
3 oz Vegetable oil
1tsp Garlic powder

Procedure
Combine all ingredients except meat and mix into a paste. Rub the mix all around the meat, working it in evenly, be careful not to leave any lumps. For the best result, I like to cure the beef for 24 hours before roasting. Roast as usual, and remember to let your meat rest 5 minutes before slicing,

Guest Inger Boudouris: Swedish Meatballs

Special Guest
This week we talked Swedish food with the amazing Inger Boudouris. Above is a photo of some of her favorite foods and best equiptment, She said Swedish meatballs are really a national favorite and Inger said the ones at Ikea are actually right on. Go figure. Here is a basic recipe so you can make them at home.

Ingredients
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 lb lean ground beef
1/3 lb ground lean pork
1/3 ground veal
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Butter to saute meatballs

Procedure
Saute onions in first tablespoon of oil until translucent. Set aside and let cool. Combine breadcrumbs and milk, let soak for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine onions, breadcrumbs, milk egg, meat and seasonings. Mix thoroughly. Form the meat mixture into tablespoon-sized balls. Over medium heat, fry meatballs in butter until brown on all sides. Serve with boiled potatoes and Lingonberry sauce

Guest Helga Ancona: Feijoada

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Feijoada is the undisputed national dish of Brazil. It is a recipe of bean stew with rice and pork meat. It usually includes “farofa” (mandioca, a root from the rainforest, mixed with maize flour and oil. Sometimes bacon...)

Originally Feijoada was made using every part of the pig, such as ears, tails, and nose floating among the beans. As this upsets tourists, a version of it is made especially with them in mind only using the fine meat parts of the pig. The origin of the Feijoada goues back to the sixteenth century with the introduction of slaves in Brazil. Slaves were used for many things, cotton production, cocoa production, rubber and with the goldrush boom for extraction of diamonds and mine digging. The culinary culture of Africa was mixed with the European food traditions. The African slaves had the basic bean stew, the Portuguese added the linguiça (sausage), and the Indians added the farofa (toasted manioc flour). The result was a particularly "heavy" dish wich lasted long and gave the workers the energy they needed.

Ingredients
1 lb. black beans
1 lb. smoked ham hocks
1 of each: pork foot, ear, tail, and tongue
(optional)
1 lb. Mexican "chorizo," "pepperoni" or Brazilian "linguica"
1/2 lb. Chunk of lean Canadian bacon or
Brazilian "carne seca"
1/2 lb. Smoked pork or beef ribs
3-4 strips of smoked bacon
1/2 lb. lean pork
1/2 lb. lean beef
1 large onion
4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
salt to taste
black pepper
hot sauce (optional)

Procedure
Soak beans overnight in large container. Next morning, cook beans for 2-3 hours at low heat. Place ham hocks, chorizo, ribs and Canadian bacon in deep pan with plenty of water and bring to a boil. Change water and bring to a new boil, repeating the procedure at least three times to tenderize cured meats and remove excess fat. In a large frying pan, sauté onion and garlic using either vegetable or olive oil (smoked bacon strips optional) for two or three minutes. Toss in cubed pork and beef. Sauté an additional two-three minutes.

Mash 5-l0 tablespoons of beans and add to large pot. The resulting paste will thicken sauce. Add two tablespoons of olive oil, three garlic cloves all chopped-up or mashed, along with a tablespoon of white vinegar and a teaspoon of red-hot pepper. Stir, heat over medium fire for two-three minutes, and then transfer to contents of frying pan. (You may use two frying pans, if necessary). Let simmer for l0-l5 minutes. Add contents of frying pan(s) to the beans and let boil at medium heat for 1-2 hours. Serve over rice, with additional red-hot sauce, if desired. Then lie in a hammock and take a nap!

Lamb meatballs

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Lamb meatballs are good. In this sweet little recipe from The El Farol Cookbook, written by chef James Cambell Caruso who now owns La Boca, he used local New Mexican ground lamb. That is an excellent but expensive choice. You could substitute New Zealand lamb or even go with beef, pork, or turkey.

Ingredients
2 pounds ground lamb
2 whole eggs
1 cup Panko (bread crumbs)
1/2 cup toasted Pinon nuts, chopped fine
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 tablespoon toasted Coriander seeds, ground
1/2 tablespoon toasted Cumin seed, ground
2 tablespoons tomato paste
6 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon cracked black pepper

Procedure
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients well by hand (wear gloves!) or use a wooden spoon. Chill mixture for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375. Roll meat into golf ball-size balls and arrange on a sheet pan. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven and serve with Romesco sauce.

Stout-Marinated Steak Sandwich

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
I love a steak sandwich every now and then. Here’s a great one and it's marinated in beer! You must start this recipe a day ahead but it takes 5 minutes to marinate the steak, and then it sits in the fridge overnight and you broil it the next afternoon.

Ingredients
2/3 cup Guinness Stout
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 clove fresh minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 pounds Flank steak
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
Dash salt
4 cups onions, thin sliced (Vidalia if possible)
12 slices sourdough French baguette, cut on the diagonal, brushed with a little oil, and toasted in the oven
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons horseradish
Paprika to garnish

Procedure
In a glass or porcelain dish, combine stout, oil, salt, garlic, and pepper. Add steak and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in fridge overnight. Next day, in a large skillet, melt butter and add paprika and a dash of salt. Now add thin-sliced onions and cook over medium low heat till they get soft and caramelize — around 20 minutes. Don’t cook over too high a flame, or they'll burn. Preheat broiler and drain steak from marinade and pat dry. Broil 2 inches from the heat; you could also throw it on the grill for 3-4 minutes on either side. Let rest 5 minutes and take to cutting board. Slice thin on the diagonal. For each serving, place a few slices of meat over toasted French baguette. Top with cooked onions. Combine sour cream and horseradish and spoon over top of sandwich. Sprinkle on a smidge of paprika. Eat immediately; I would also add a simple mixed green salad and maybe more beer.

Beef Bourguignon

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Today we are going to make a classic French stew which I never tire of — Beef Bourguignon. The hardest part is spelling it. It's an inexpensive dish to make and gets better the more times you reheat it. You can get creative and add all kinds of other stuff, but personally I would make it just like this. Remember, this takes most of the day to make, so maybe get a bunch of Netflix ready.

Ingredients
3 pounds lean boneless chuck, cubed
1 large onion thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper
1 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 pound sliced bacon cut into small pieces
20 pearl onions
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 pound button mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter

Procedure
Place meat, onion, thyme, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add red wine and olive oil. Stir to mix and let marinate for 4 hours in the fridge. Place the bacon in a heavy casserole, and cook till the fat renders out. Add the pearl onions and cook till they brown and the bacon is crisp. Remove onions and bacon, but save fat. Drain and pat dry the beef (save the marinade) and then saute in the hot bacon fat till browned on all sides. Sprinkle the flour over beef and saute for a few minutes more. Now pour back on the marinade and add the beef stock. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, covered, for 2 hours till beef is tender. In the meantime, saute the sliced mushrooms in the butter. When beef is tender, taste for seasoning and add the mushrooms, pearl onions and bacon and simmer for another 15 minutes to blend flavors. This dish serves 6 and is best done a day ahead. You will need bread and wine and maybe a beret to make the meal complete ... and maybe Dadou the accordion player.