Short Rib Bucatini

Anything after labor day is fall, right? I don't care that it was 82 degrees in Chicago today. I don't even care that the leaves are still bright green on the trees, and the beaches are still full of people. I've got the fall itch, and while you won't see me standing in line at Starbucks for a pumpkin spice latte, you will catch me in the kitchen braising something.

Up until now, I have only made my short ribs one way. A very good way, mind you, but I was in a rut and it was time to branch out. I am sure I will find myself braising some short ribs in red wine and beef stock at some point this winter, but for now, this version suits this summer-ish fall season just fine. Plus, it let me use the last of my fresh basil from my teeny tiny herb 'garden' that I have somehow managed not to kill this summer. (By 'garden' I mean two window boxes hanging from my deck rail.)

Short Rib Bucatini
recipe adapted from Food & Wine

4 tbl olive oil
3 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
1 large vidalia onion, chopped finely
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbl tomato paste
2 - 28 oz. cans whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
1 medium carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
1 pound dried bucatini
fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese for garnish

Heat olive oil in a large enameled cast iron pot over medium high heat. Season all sides of the short ribs generously with salt and pepper. When oil is hot, brown all sides of each piece of short rib, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove short ribs to a plate and set aside. Pour all but two tablespoons of fat our of the pot, and return to medium-low heat.

Add the onions, and cook, stirring occasionally until soft and gently browned, about 12-15 minutes. Add the tomato paste and garlic and cook for about 2-3 minutes, string constantly. Add the tomatoes and gently mash as you are stirring them in. Add carrots, bay leaves, and a generous pinch of salt and bring to a simmer. Place short ribs and all the juices that may have accumulated back into pot and turn heat to the lowest setting. Cover loosely and simmer gently for about 4 hours, until meat it tender and is falling off the bone. Stir occasionally to turn short ribs and to monitor any scorching that may occur in the bottom of the pan. When meat is cooked, remove to cutting board, and discard the bones and any excess fat and connective tissue. You can either chop the meat into small pieces or gently pull the chunks apart with two forks.

Remove the bay leaves from the tomato sauce and carefully transfer to a food processor and pulse until pureed. Alternatively, you can leave the sauce in the pot and use a immersion blender, or you can leave the sauce chunky as is. Return sauce to pan over low heat, and return short rib meat to sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and hold over low heat.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the bucatini until just al dente, then drain, and add the pasta into the sauce. Simmer the pasta in the sauce for 2-3 minutes, adding some reserved pasta water if you find it is too thick.

Chiffonade a few leaves of fresh basil and grate some parmesan cheese to garnish.

Carnitas Breakfast Tacos

Cakes, cookies, cupcakes, pastries, bread, and custards. This is what my diet has consisted of the past few weeks. I am not kidding, I feel like I have been on a constant sugar high, and on a serious carbohydrate overload. First quarter of pastry school will do that to you I guess.

It is also approaching April, and spring is just about here. For a baker, that means one thing. It is officially wedding and shower season. I have one friend with a bun in the oven, and another with a rock on her finger, and they are both going to be showered with gifts and well wishes from friends and family, and treats from my kitchen in the next month or so. I have noticed when I do large projects like dessert tables, or fancy cakes, that I forget to eat, and just nibble on the scraps or the rejects from the goodies I am baking.

This habit, while delicious, and actually helpful to my waistline (that whole forgetting to eat thing can make you bikini ready in no time) it's definitely not a good way to sustain myself for the long hours standing in my kitchen. I need to take better care of myself this spring season, and that means cooking more. I have no trouble being a busy bee baker, but I have been neglecting my first loves, meats, cheeses, pastas, mexican, italian, thai food! No more. One of my many spring resolutions is to not only prepare for these events with lots of do-ahead baking, but also making nutritious, filling, meals to keep me going until summer.

Welcome to operation carnitas. There have been many times that I have ordered carnitas tacos, or burritos from Chipotle, or better yet, the authentic mexican taco stand down the street, but had never even thought about making them at home. I feel as though my life has changed. Have I mentioned that I am a bit over-dramatic when it comes to food? No?

Carnitas are incredibly easy to make, and provide a perfect filling for burritos, breakfast tacos, or simply served over rice. The best part? Braising is one of those cooking methods that takes just a little prep, then you get to stick the meat in your dutch oven and forget about it for a few hours. Plus it makes a LOT of shredded pork, perfect for being wrapped in individual portions and freezing (if it makes it that long). Spicy, tender, juicy, a little sweet, this is a killer recipe, and would be great for a crowd. My boyfriend and I have already mowed down more than half of a nearly five pound pork shoulder over the last three days, so I can say with complete confidence, you will love these carnitas.

Orange Beer Braised Pork Carnitas 
for a 4.5 pound pork shoulder, feel free to halve recipe for smaller cut of meat

4.5-5 pound pork shoulder roast, cubed into 3-4 inch pieces
2 teaspoons salt
6 teaspoons chili powder
3 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
4 slices thick cut applewood smoked bacon, diced
12 ounces beer (I used a New Belgium pale ale, any full flavored ale would work fine here)
2 quarts chicken stock
zest of 1 orange

juice of 2 oranges

In a medium bowl, combine salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne, and paprika. Toss each piece of pork shoulder in spice mixture to coat lightly, rubbing gently into the meat with your fingers. Let the meat rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes to let the rub penetrate.

In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over a medium flame, and when it is hot, add the diced bacon. Cook, stirring frequently, until the bacon has rendered all of its fat and become slightly crisp, about 8-10 minutes. Be careful not too cook the bacon on too high of heat because it can burn. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, and any excess bacon fat from bottom of pan, leaving just enough to coat the bottom of your pot. In batches, over high heat, sear the pork shoulder pieces, until brown, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove the pork and set aside. When all pork has been seared, add the chicken stock, beer, orange juice, and zest to the pot, and bring to a simmer, scraping up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pot.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. When the liquid is at a simmer, add the pork and the bacon pieces back into the pot, cover tightly, and braise for 3-3 1/2 hours, until meat is falling apart. Turn meat over a few times throughout braising process. Remove pot from oven, then remove the pork from the pot, place in clean bowl and cover tightly with tin foil. Put your liquid over medium high heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce the sauce at a simmer for about 30 minutes. You will want to skim as much fat off the top of the liquid as possible, it will reduce the greasiness of your carnitas.

When the sauce is reduced to your liking, reduce your heat to low, and begin picking through your meat, removing the large pieces of fat, and returning the tender meat to the sauce. Take two forks and shred the meat into the sauce. I ended up having no sauce leftover, it was all soaked up by the pork, but if you do thats okay too, pour it over some rice or your pork when you serve it (don't waste it, it is delicious!).

If you want to make breakfast tacos, just heat up some corn tortillas, scramble some eggs, and top with carnitas, salsa, fresh cilantro, and some sour cream if that strikes your fancy. You can also just take a fork and eat them straight out of the pot like I did the night I cooked them. Don't judge, just enjoy!

Cabernet Braised Short Ribs and Mushroom Risotto

There are some people that tie their memories to the weather, different smells, specific dates, or the time of year. I have been finding that recently I have been tying many of my great memories with friends and family to food. For example, I can't remember a specific christmas by the year, or by how much snow we got, or what my christmas presents were, but jog my memory of what we cooked for 'christmas eve-eve' dinner? Now I remember.

It works the other way too. Lobster crosses my mind? I immediately think about the many July 4th's throughout my childhood when the cousins in my family would draw a track on the driveway with chalk and "race" the lobsters before our parents murdered them (but for good cause) in the giant bubbling stock pot in the kitchen. Granted they usually only moved an inch or so, but it was still fun picking them up and being terrified that they were going to pinch us (even though their claws all had rubber bands on them).

I also think about last winter when some of my favorite people in the world got together at a cabin in northern Wisconsin and had a BYOL party (Bring Your Own Lobster). It unexpectedly took hours to bring the huge stock pots full of water and crab seasoning to boil and didn't end up eating until almost 11 pm, but we kept ourselves busy drinking wine, playing with the very lethargic lobsters, and catching up on lives being lived three states away from each other.

Short ribs and risotto will be one of those meals that is tied to so many great memories for me. It was one of the first 'extravagant' meals I cooked for my boyfriend after we moved to chicago together. It was on the menu last winter when some of my best girlfriends from Purdue finally found a night we could all get together for the first time in months.

It was also the meal I made for eight hungry skiers this past weekend, at what is quickly becoming my favorite tradition: Valentines Day Cabin Weekend. In lieu of the Hallmark world of hearts and candy and forced romantic evenings, my Minnesota friends and I, along with our wonderful significant others, have turned v-day weekend into a weekend full of skiing, laughing, drinking, and eating. Rarely does the v -word even cross our lips, but when it does we aren't just celebrating love in our romantic relationships, we are toasting our friendships as well. The card I received from one of said Minnesota friends sums it up pretty well: "I hope we are still spending valentines day together when we are 80". Until I am 80, when I think of short ribs and risotto, I will be reminded of this very awesome valentines day, the giant red le creuset filled with braised meaty goodness, and the very best friends a girl could ask for.

Cabernet Braised Short Ribs

recipe adapted slightly from epicurious.com

Serves 8 with leftovers

These are great made a day early and chilled overnight. This allows you to to skim some of the hardened fat off the top to produce a less greasy pan sauce, but are just as good made the day of.

8-9 pounds meaty short ribs

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced

2 tablespoons fresk thyme, minced

1 tablespoon coarse salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup (about) vegetable or olive oil

2 - 750 ml bottles of Cabernet Sauvingnon

2-4 cups beef stock (this will depend on the size and shape of the pot you use, you will need enough to just about cover the ribs with liquid)

2 tablespoons of butter, room temperature

2 teaspoons all purpose flour

The day before cooking the ribs, season the ribs on all sides with the rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper and place in a large glass baking dish. Cover and chill overnight.

Let ribs stand at room temp before continuing. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large dutch oven, heat two tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add short ribs to pot in a single layer, turning about every 2 minutes to brown all sides. Place browned ribs in large bowl, and add more oil to pot as needed to brown all the ribs. Once all ribs have been seared, pour off drippings from pot and return to medium heat. Add the wine, scraping up and browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring wine to a simmer, then return the ribs and any accumulated juices to the pot. Add enough beef stock to almost cover the ribs. Bring to a boil, then cover and transfer pot to oven.

If making these the day of consumption, cook for about 3-3.5 hours, until meat is incredibly tender and falling off the bone.

If making the day before, cook for about 2.5 hours, then let cool, cover, and chill overnight. The following day, skim some of the congealed fat off the top and return to 375 degree oven for another hour to and hour and a half, until the meat is tender and falling off the bone.

When ribs are done, remove meat and bones from pot, place in a tightly covered bowl and keep warm. Skim any fat from the top of the liquid, and bring to simmer over medium high heat on the stovetop. Boil until reduced to about 2 cups, about 20 minutes. Mix together butter and flour in a bowl until well combined, and whisk into simmering braising liquid. Continue whisking over medium-high heat until thickened slightly, about 2 minutes.

Plate ribs next to, or on top of the risotto, topped with sauce and the mixed herb gremolata.

Meyer Lemon Herb Gremolata

adapted slightly from epicurious.com

Please don't skip this topping. It lends an amazingly bright citrus note to the earthy meatiness of the short ribs.

1/4 cup chopped italian parsley

3 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel, meyer lemon if it is in season

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons finely minced rosemary

2 tablespoons finely minced thyme

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Can be made one day in advance, but I would recommend making it the day of so the citrus is at its freshest.

Mushroom Risotto

serves 8 plus plenty of leftovers

12-16 cups canned low sodium chicken broth

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

1/2 cup unsalted butter, divided (one stick)

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

5-6 shallots, minced

1 1/2 pounds fresh mushrooms, chopped (I used a mix of white and baby bellas)

3 cups arborio rice

1 1/3 cup white wine

1 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/3 cup italian parsley, chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring the broth to a simmer in a large saucepan or small stockpot. Add the dried porcini mushrooms, reduce heat, and keep the broth warm over very low heat while you cook the risotto. The mushrooms will flavor the broth as they steep.

In a large heavy pot, melt two tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil. Add the shallots and saute until tender, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic, and saute for another 2-3 minutes.

Stir in the rice, and let cook until the rice toasts a bit and becomes slightly translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the wine and cook until it has absorbed, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low, and add 1 cup of hot broth, stirring rice very frequently until broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1 cup at a time and stirring, until rice is just al dente. This should take about 30-40 minutes, and you may not need all the broth.

While rice is cooking, remove the porcini mushrooms from broth with slotted spoon, chop, and set aside. Heat two tablespoons of butter and one tablespoon of live oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fresh mushrooms and porcini mushrooms and saute until mushrooms are slightly browned, 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover to keep warm and set aside.

When rice reaches the al dente stage, remove from heat and stir in remaining 1/2 stick of butter, parmesan cheese, mushrooms, and parsley.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add some roasted carrots for good measure and you have yourself a meal.

Make this, and make it often. I can only hope that this wonderful meal may be attached to some amazing memories for you as well.