But, now I'd like to really raise the bar...or uprights, as the case may be and offer up one from the box seats...no tailgating here...this recipe is rich and elegant and takes our Super Bowl menu from cooking to cuisine!
The beauty and necessity of this menu is that you need to make it in advance...thus allowing the cook time to enjoy the Patriots win over that other team.
Braised beef short ribs are all the rage now...for good reason...this dish is delicious, comforting and great for entertaining. In addition to the ribs, a creamy corn casserole and crispy fried green beans will round out an upscale menu for one of the biggest parties of the year.
Zinfandel Braised Beef Short Ribs serves 8-10 people or 24 appetizers
Ingredients
5 pounds beef short ribs
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup olive oil
2 sweet onions cut into medium dice
2 carrots cut into medium dice
2 parsnips, cut into medium dice
3 ribs of celery, washed and cut into medium dice
1 leek, white part, washed and cut into medium dice
8 cloves of garlic, mashed
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
3 quarts vegetable stock
1/2 cup brandy
2 750ml bottles of Zinfandel (not white zin!!!)
Citrus Zest Herb Mix (Gremolata):
1/2 cup minced parsley
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 tsp fresh oregano, minced
1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced
Zest from 1 lemon
Zest from 1 orange
1/2 tsp Cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
Method
On the day before the big game...
Preheat your oven to 325degrees.
In a large sauce pan, add the red wine. Bring to a boil and then immediately reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer the wine until it is reduced by half, about 20-30 minutes.
In a zip top bag, add flour and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Add the short ribs, in batches and shake the beef to lightly coat in the seasoned flour mixture. Carefully remove the ribs and shake off excess flour. Set aside.
Heat the oil over medium high heat, in a large Dutch oven. When the oil is shimmering, add the short ribs (in batches if necessary) and cook until browned on all sides. Remove the meat from the pan to a paper lined baking sheet, cover with foil and set aside.
Add the onions, leeks, carrots, celery and parsnips to the pot. Add up to a tablespoon of additional oil if needed. Cook the vegetables until they sweat and start to turn brown. Add the garlic, thyme and rosemary and cook over medium heat for another 3 minutes, stirring often. Do not let the vegetables overbrown.
Deglaze the pan with the brandy, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the vegetable stock and reduced wine to the pot and bring to a simmer. Add the beef short ribs back to the pot, completely submerging in the liquid. Cover and place in the preheated oven, braising until tender, about 3 hours.
Remove the pot from the oven and allow to cool. Remove the ribs to a platter and cover with foil and refrigerate.
Strain the brasing liquids from the Dutch oven. Discard the solids and set the liquid aside to cool to room temperature. Once the braising liquid has cooled, cover and refrigerate. After refrigerating the liquid, skim off and discard solidified fat and "scum" from the reserved liquid.
For a main dish, you can serve the short ribs on or off the bone, whole. For an appetizer or sandwiches, you can shred the meat with forks and pour some of the reserved liquid over the meat to moisten. Serve with country style or blue cheese biscuits.
On Game Day!!! Reheat, by returning the liquid to a sauce pan, and bring to a slight boil and reduce to simmer. Once heated, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Place the ribs in a baking dish and loosely cover with foil. Place in a 325* oven for 40-45 minutes or until the meat is warmed through.
Serve the beef family style on a platter and pour the sauce over it. Combine the fresh herbs, citrus zest, pepper and salt in a bowl. Sprinkle herb mixture over meat.
This hearty beef dish goes well with garlic mashed potatoes, stone ground grits or buttered egg noodles.
On a recent visit to Charleston, SC, I discovered this next recipe...corn pudding casserole! If it weren't a side dish offered with the meal, I doubt I would have ordered it off the menu, but this is an easy and tasty side dish which I think will pair up well with this game day menu.
Charleston Corn Casserole serves 6-8, but doubles easily!
Ingredients
2 cups fresh corn, cut from the cob (frozen corn will do)
1 15 ounce can of creamed corn
1 8 ounce package of corn muffin mix
1 cup lowfat sour cream
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
2 egg whites beaten until soft peaks form
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Method
Preheat oven to 350 dregrees F.
Butter a 13 x 9 baking dish, set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the corn, creamed corn, muffin mix, sour cream and melted butter until muffin mix is no longer dry. Stir in the maple syrup and 1/2 cup cheese until just incorporated. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Spoon into the greased baking dish, smoothing into all the corners.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and top with remaining cheese. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and slighlty golden brown.
Let stand for 5 minutes before serving warm.
My final recipe for this installment is one of my youngest daughter's favorite...Fried Green Beans. We munch on them as snacks, but they make for an interesting veggie side dish too!
Fried Green Beans
Ingredients
1 1/2 lb green beans, ends trimmed
1 cup light beer or club soda
1 cup brown rice flour
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Peanut or safflower oil for frying
Method
In a large pot, heat 5 quarts of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the trimmed green beans and blanch for 40 seconds. Drain the beans and remove to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain the beans well and place them on a paper towel lined baking tray to dry.
Preheat oil in a large pot to 375 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, salt, black and red pepper to mix well. Whisk in room temperature light beer, until a smooth batter is formed. If the batter is too thick add some club soda to moisten the mixture.
Dip the green beans into the beer batter to coat. Allow the excess to drip off. Fry the beans in peanut oil in batches until they are golden and crisp. Remove the beans with a slotted sppon or spider onto a paper towel lined tray. Sprinkle with additional salt, pepper and cayenne (if desired). Keep warm in a 250 degree F oven until ready to eat.
Beverage Recommendations:
I love Sam Adams Beer and I would pair the Sam Adams Lager or the Sam Adams Black Lager up with the rich braised beef ribs.
For wine lovers...go with a glass of the Zinfandel you used to prepare the sauce, like 2005 7 Deadly Zins...not too terribly expensive and full of dark fruit flavors that can stand up to cooking or drinking (after letting it breathe a bit).
For something a bit less chewy than a big Zin, try the 2007 Duckhorn Paraduxx Red Wine Blend...featuring some Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cab Franc...dark cherry, raspberry, vanilla and some oak mingle with blueberry, cedar and molasses notes...a nice wine for the complex flavors in the braised beef.
For a cocktail, try FireFly Sweet Tea Vodka on the rocks with a large twist of lemon...simple and sweet!!
Bon Appetit!
BTW, I love Wes Welker!
No comments:
Post a Comment