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.

Finally.

There has been a hole in my life since moving out of Lincoln Park. I lived close to the lake for two years, on the north side of Chicago. I was steps from Wrigley Field, near the Belmont harbor where mini sailboats bounced about during their Saturday morning lessons, and just a block away from the lakefront path where I used to ride my bike.

All of these conveniences and attractions were great, but I don't feel I took advantage of them enough while I was there, leaving me not missing them all that much. They are still there when I want to visit. One of the things I do miss however is being in the small delivery area of Thai Classic Restaurant.

Yeah, I know this sounds a little extreme. But you do not want to get between this woman and her curry. I am sure there are better Thai places in Chicago, and there may even be some in my new hood, but I just loved the solid, dependable, consistent panang curry entree from the Classic.

For years I have been making 'curry' at home. I use the quotes because it never tasted anywhere close to what I have been enjoying at Thai and Indian eateries. It started with a recipe on the label on the back of a Thai Kitchen curry paste jar, and pretty much went downhill from there. Don't get me wrong, a little curry paste and coconut milk mixed with some veggies and rice were okay for a while, but I think I hit my limit of half-assed curry. I needed a real curry, and I needed to be able to make it myself.

Well I FINALLY found it. This recipe for chicken curry with cashews was recommended on a forum on Serious Eats, which is a food website that I am a daily visitor to. It may be a little more demanding, but this recipe hits all the right notes. The layers of flavor, the different textures, the heat, it all adds up to a dish that will cure me of my longing for Thai Classic any day.

Of course I toyed with it quite a bit, but that is the best part about this recipe, it just begs to be messed with. The base for the sauce is the key here, but the additions are up to you. As for me, I went light on the meat, and heavy on the veggies. This abundance of vegetables, combined with the yogurt addition, led me to believe that this is a healthy meal, we will just ignore the 1/2 stick of butter and the giant mound of jasmine rice shall we?

Chicken Curry with Cashews and Yogurt

adapted from Gourmet Magazine

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

2 medium onions, halved and sliced thinly (2 cups)

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

3 tablespoons curry powder

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

4 boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 large tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped - if tomatoes are not ripe/in season you can omit the chicken stock and use 1 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes and their juices.

2 cups chicken stock

1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

1 can chickpeas, drained

1 can bamboo shoots, drained

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3/4 cup cashews (1/4 pound)

3/4 cup plain yogurt

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat, until it starts to bubble. Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic and ginger and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the curry powder, salt, cumin, and cayenne and stir to combine. Add the chicken thighs and cook just until browned on all sides, about 6-8 minutes. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, chickpeas, bamboo shoots, and cilantro and simmer over medium-low heat until the chicken and all the vegetables have cooked through and sauce is reduced, about 30-40 minutes.

Feel free to add more chicken broth if the sauce reduces too quickly, I believe that the long slow simmer is where you get a lot of your flavor from here, so give it some time.

While curry is cooking, pulse the cashews in a food processor or spice mill until finely ground, almost to a powder, but careful not to go to far otherwise you will end up with cashew butter. Just before serving, stir the yogurt and most of the ground cashews into the curry to thicken the sauce.

Garnish with come chopped cilantro and reserved cashew powder, and serve over jasmine or brown rice.

Who needs you anyway Thai Classic. It may not be traditional panang, or even Thai, but it sure is delicious and feeds that little guy that lives in my tummy that screams 'feed me curry!!' every now and then.

Turmeric and Mustard Chicken Satay

Happy Thursday!

Sitting out on the deck again, this time with a glass of wine and a beautiful rainbow to the south. Its pretty chilly out again today, this summer has been pretty wimpy so far here in Chicago. We had a few 90 degree days, but its almost halfway through July and I feel like its not even summer yet. How do we deal with this? Put on a sweatshirt and sit out on the deck anyway.

Or grill. Steve (my boyfriend) and I moved again in June -that makes three years and three apartments- but this time to a place with not only a deck but a second bedroom. The deck is by far my favorite spot and we have gotten quite a bit of use out of it in the month and a half or so that we have been here. Back in June I was up in Minnesota joining my sister on the MS 150 Bike Ride, and figured it was time to dig my old 22" Weber Charcoal Kettle out of the garage.

It was like uncovering a relic, still in the torn black garbage bag that it was put into two years ago when I graduated and moved to the city, and covered in dust. I work (indirectly) for Weber so it was sort of a sin that I had a deck for two weeks and had not grilled anything yet. Trying to put the ridicule to rest, the next weekend my best friend Stefanie came to Chicago to visit and we put the kettle to good use. We threw some chicken and vegetable kabobs on the grill served with some orange rice, and spicy oranges peanut dipping sauce, oh and don't forget the wine, that is key :-)

I am not known for measuring things, so I can give an approximation of what I used in these recipes, and I vow to keep better track of ingredients. It was a fatanstically easy meal and pleased the crowd (okay just me, Stef, and Steve, but we were pretty happy campers) Enjoy!

Turmeric- Dijon Chicken Kabobs

This marinade I kind of threw together from stuff I had in my pantry, so taste often and add more of whichever flavors you want to bring out the most. I served the chicken with Rachel Ray's Orange Rice and Peanut Satay Sauce (thanks for the suggestion Rian!).

Chicken

1.5-2 lbs. chicken breast tenders (about two packages)

2 tablespoons turmeric

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 cloves crushed garlic

2 inches crushed ginger

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

Veggies

2 Zucchini

1 Red Onion

2 Red Bell Peppers
(I also had the brilliant idea that carrots would be delish and quickly realized that no, they do not enjoy being put on skewers, so that idea got scrapped)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Rice

Zest of 3 Oranges
3 Cups Jasmine Rice

Satay Sauce

4 rounded tablespoonfuls chunky peanut butter
3 tablespoons dark soy, Tamari
3 tablespoons honey
1-inch ginger root, peeled and minced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 orange, juiced

Directions

The night before the meal, I combined the turmeric, mustard, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, worcestershire, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper in a Ziploc bag with the chicken and let it hang out in the fridge overnight.

TIP: I had a hell of a time trying to skewer these the next day, plus my hands turned yellow so I would highly recommend skewering first, THEN marinading.

The night of the actual meal, I cut up the zucchini, onion, and bell peppers, tossed them with a little olive oil and salt and pepper and put those on skewers as well.

I use a charcoal grill so right after I set the coals up in my chimney, I combined the rice and the orange zest and cooked it according the the package directions. Rice can be a great accompaniment for grilling especially since it can be taken off of the heat and rest covered until the rest of the meal is ready.

While the rice was coming to a boil and the charcoal was lighting, I combined all of the satay sauce ingredients and put the mixture into a sauce pan and set aside.

Once the charcoal was ready, I put everything on the grill at once, with the chicken directly over the coals, and the veggies around the sides. I turned them occasionally and moved skewers off the direct heat as they cooked through.

Meanwhile, I set the satay sauce over medium- low heat and stirred occasionally just to combine ingredients, until meat and vegetables were done grilling and rice was done cooking.

This made A LOT of food, which was great because we had leftovers for days. Even the rice, as simple as it was, was so flavorful and was a perfect compliment with the chicken and satay sauce.

I apologize if this recipe is hard to follow, seems erratic, doesn't make ANY sense whatsoever, it is my first shot at writing a recipe out start to finish, and it was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. Heres hoping it gets better from here. More food fun to come, next up Mile High Turkey Burgers....mmm.....