Braised Short Ribs with Red Wine and Roasted Garlic

October 4, 2016 by 7 Comments

braised short ribs Braised short ribs is what I call cold weather comfort food at it’s best. Meaty short ribs that braise in a hearty red wine, a little broth, roasted garlic and thyme. The meat becomes so tender and fall off the bone delicious, and the best part is you only do a minimal amount of work to get them ready then the oven takes over for a while.

In the meantime your house is guaranteed to smell amazing!

roasted garlic

I mentioned roasting garlic for this recipe, it’s a MUST, you have to do it because when your meat is done braising you’re going to smash the sweet mellow cloves right into the liquid and then strain everything so you have a nice smooth sauce that’s packed with so much flavor you can’t even imagine!

To save time I recommend roasting the garlic a couple of days ahead and storing it away in your fridge, I always make a little extra to use in other things like mashed potatoes, sauteed greens or simply smeared on crusty bread.

braised short ribs

You can serve this on top roasted garlic mashed potatoes, some thick eggy noodles or pappadelle pasta, or my favorite… creamy polenta, (too die for!) In fact the other day I posted a picture of  just that, a juicy, tender short rib on top of creamy polenta with a layer of  roasted garlic sauteed kale on my Instagram, check it out here.

Now go grab a heavy pot and start braising!

5.0 from 1 reviews
Braised Short Ribs with Red Wine and Roasted Garlic
 
Print
Author:
Ingredients
  • 4 whole heads of garlic, cut in half
  • 6 large meaty short ribs
  • hearty red wine
  • beef or chicken broth
  • ¾ of a cup of tomato puree, finely diced tomatoes, marinara or a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste
  • cremini mushrooms, 12 oz. package, cut in half
  • 1 small pack of pearl onions, blanched and peeled
  • (optional, for a little spicy heat, a teaspoon of harissa or Calabrian chili paste, I used harrisa, but again not needed just optional)
  • fresh thyme
  • olive oil, salt and pepper
  • fresh parsley for garnish or chopped scallions
Instructions
  1. Roast the 4 heads of garlic the day before by cutting them in half, drizzling them with olive oil adding fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Wrap in heavy foil and roast 45 minutes to 1 hour at 400 degrees
  2. Season short ribs with salt and pepper all over.
  3. In a heavy bottomed pan like cast iron get it nice and hot then drizzle with olive oil and add in the ribs and start searing them.
  4. Let ribs get a deep golden brown all over, not moving them too often, letting the fat render out.
  5. Remove ribs and pour off all extra fat, leaving brown bits on the bottom.
  6. Add ribs back in and add your tomato ingredient and optional extra spice, let it cook a bit.
  7. Pour in the wine enough to cover almost half up the sides of the short ribs, let it bubble and cook down for a little while, it should reduce a little.
  8. Add in the broth, again enough to reach halfway up the sides of the short ribs.
  9. Add in one whole head of the roasted garlic, two halves.
  10. Throw in some fresh thyme.
  11. Cover with lid or heavy duty foil and place into a hot, preheated 300 degree oven, they will take around 2½ hours.
  12. Half way through add in the onions.
  13. In a skillet, saute your mushrooms on medium high heat, set aside.
  14. When short ribs are finished cooking, and have become tender and fall off the bone, remove them gently from the pan as well as the onions.
  15. Smash all the garlic that came out of the head with a fork into the gorgeous liquid, it will be chunky looking.
  16. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer, pushing and scraping the bits to get all the juice extracted, discard all pulp from garlic, you are left with a smooth sauce.
  17. Place smooth sauce back into the pan, add the short ribs and onions back in, at this point you can skim more of the fat off if you like, I did.
  18. Add the sauteed mushrooms and some fresh thyme.
  19. Garnish with fresh parsley and chopped scallions.
  20. Serve over creamy polenta, egg noodles, pappadelle pasta or roasted garlic mashed potatoes.
  21. Delicious with sauteed greens on the side.
  22. Enjoy!

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Signature
7 Comments Filed Under: Meats Tagged: , ,

Autumn Sformato, a Savory Italian Custard

September 27, 2016 by 10 Comments

autumn sformato I like to describe sformato as a little Italian souffle, a savory flan or an Italian custard that can be made savory or sweet and often served in individual portions. They’re usually made in a ramekin then un-molded for a nice presentation and served with a sauce of some sort.

Here I made a favorite of mine, a savory version filled with a puree of butternut squash, creamy parmesan cheese and a few other ingredients that give it it’s dreamy texture.

I posted this some years ago but adjusted the recipe a little and wanted to share it with you again since it’s the perfect starter, side dish or light veggie entree for a nice autumn meal.

cooked squash

Squash is everywhere now and all you need to do is roast some up and scoop out the pulp!
squash puree and parmesan I love the combination of butternut squash and Parmigiano Regggiano they compliment each other so well and are the base for this savory sformato.

autumn sformato When cooked and cooled down the sformato will un-mold onto a plate very easy.

autumn sformato A parmesan cream sauce, some crispy sage, toasted pumpkin seeds and a swipe of balsamic glaze takes this over the top, and I mean over the top!

autumn sformatoautumn sformato

Each spoonful is beyond words, you have to make this!

Come see what I’m cooking up during the week, you can follow me on Instagram here.

5.0 from 2 reviews
Autumn Sformato
 
Print
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 large butternut squash, roasted with pulp scraped out, should equal around 2 cups for 4 ramekins.
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano and more for sauce and garnish
  • 2 tablespoons, mascarpone
  • ½ cup of half and half or heavy cream
  • salt and pepper too taste
  • SAUCE
  • 2 cups of half and half or heavy cream reduced down
  • a handful of grated Parmigiano Reggiano to toss into the cream
  • balsamic glaze, pumpkin seeds, crispy sage and extra parm for garnish
Instructions
  1. preheat oven to 350. I recommend doing the squash the day before or early in the day.
  2. Cut your squash in half, scoop out the seeds, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper then place cut side down on parchment and roast until a knife pierces all the way through easily. Times will vary depending on the size of squash.
  3. Scoop out the squash the puree it smooth in a food processor, your squash puree is now finished.
  4. Then into a bowl add the rest of the ingredients, 2 cups of squash puree, the egg, mascarpone, parm, half and half, salt and pepper.
  5. Pour mixture into a buttered ramekin.
  6. Place ramekins into a baking dish with water to come up halfway to the sides, place a sheet of tin foil on top.
  7. Bake at 375 for around 30 to 40 minutes or until custard is set and cooked without jiggling.
  8. Let it cool down and make the sauce.
  9. PARMESAN CREAM SAUCE
  10. Reduce half and half or heavy cream in a small saucepan, cook on low heat until it thickens then turn off heat and add the cheese.
  11. Unmold your sformato onto an individual plate, spoon some of the sauce on top.
  12. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds around and a swipe of balsamic glaze.
  13. Crisp up some sage leaves in brown butter for garnish.

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Signature
10 Comments Filed Under: Appetizers, Side Dishes, Vegetables Tagged: , , ,

Fall Veggie and Ricotta Galette

September 16, 2016 by 21 Comments

fall veggie galette I love the rustic and free form look of a galette, it doesn’t have to be perfectly round or symmetrical, it’s stress free to make, and it always comes out looking pretty.

fall veggie galette There’s a colorful and flavorful mix of fall veggies inside this galette, it has a combo of cauliflower, butternut squash, onion and kale, this just may become one of your favorite fall dinners!

The roasted veggies get folded into a ricotta and parmesan mixture then baked together in perfect harmony.

fall veggie galette But can we talk about the crust now? It’s homemade, don’t use store bought please! If you have a food processor this will only take you five minutes to make, the crust is what makes this whole galette so amazing.

The hidden secret is polenta in the crust, you can also use a fine ground cornmeal as well and because of this polenta addition, it becomes a very sturdy, crunchy yet still very flaky crust, plus it holds and seals in the filling perfectly.

fall veggie galette

Feel free to play around with this recipe using different veggies of your choice, but don’t play around with the dough, trust me!

Follow me on Instagram, I’m always cooking up something different during the week.

5.0 from 7 reviews
Fall Veggie and Ricotta Galette
 
Print
Author:
Ingredients
  • DOUGH (ADAPTED FROM EATING WELL)
  • 1 cup of all purpose flour, I use unbleached
  • ½ cup of polenta or fine yellow cornmeal
  • ½ teaspoon, salt
  • 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • ¼ to ⅓ cup of ice water
  • a pinch of black pepper
  • FILLING
  • 1 cup or so each of pre-roasted cauliflower and butternut squash, or other veggies of your choice
  • ¼ red onion, diced
  • a handful of curly kale
  • 1 garlic clove, finely minced
  • a pinch of thyme
  • RICOTTA MIXTURE
  • 1 cup of ricotta, drained of moisture
  • 2 eggs beaten, one for the filling and another for brushing dough
  • ½ cup of grated parmesan or romano cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Prepare your dough in a food processor by pulsing the flour, polenta salt and pepper together. Add the butter and process until combined. then while it's running add the ice water down the tube a little at a time until the dough starts to come together into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for half an hour.
  2. Preheat oven to 400F
  3. For the filling, drizzle olive oil into a skillet add the onion and garlic and cook til it starts to soften an lightly brown, meanwhile toss in the chopped kale and saute til it starts to limp. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool down.
  4. In a bowl add ricotta, egg, grated cheese, thyme and salt and pepper to taste, mix til incorporated, then fold in the roasted veggies and the onion, garlic and kale saute.
  5. Remove the dough from the fridge, let it sit for 10 minutes at room temp then on a sheet of parchment roll it out to about 14 inches in diameter, don't worry if it's not perfect, just take your time. Place it onto a rimmed baking sheet.
  6. Spread the ricotta and veggie mixture onto the dough leaving a 2 inch border all around. Fold the edges up and pleat where needed to seal in good.
  7. Brush the crust with the remaining beaten egg, you won't use all of it.
  8. Sprinkle crust with grated cheese and ground pepper.
  9. Drizzle the top with olive oil.
  10. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is deep golden brown and ricotta is set.

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Signature
21 Comments Filed Under: Fall, Savory Tarts, Vegetables Tagged: ,