Monthly Archives: January 2018

TANGY GLAZED SHORT RIBS

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We had some weather excitement here in Houston last week.  It got cold.  Real cold, as in hard freeze cold.  We had snow (for the third time this winter!) and ice, and it stuck for 2 days.  The snow was really just a dusting — exciting for us, nevertheless — but the ice that formed on our highway overpasses forced our city to essentially shut down.

 

It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a “snow day.”  Growing up in New York, we could expect a few snow days every winter, and they usually involved cooking and baking, which not only made the house smell great, but kept the kitchen warm and inviting.  I loved hanging out in the kitchen on those days.

It was a given, then, that I would spend my snow day cooking.  I made chili, Italian wedding soup, and short ribs.  This recipe for Tangy Glazed Short Ribs is one of our special occasion dishes — in fact, we had it for Christmas Eve dinner.  The recipe, which we make in the slow cooker, is adapted from a Jean-Georges Vongerichten recipe that my husband ran across several years ago.  He handed me the recipe, saying “this looks good.”  And it is.  It’s a little involved, but not difficult, and worth every minute spent making it.  I like to make it at least a day in advance because like most soups and stews, it improves with age, and it also allows me to skim off the considerable amount of fat when it’s cool.  It’s best served over mashed potatoes, although no one will complain if you serve it over polenta or buttered noodles.

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TANGY GLAZED SHORT RIBS
Author: 
Recipe type: Beef, Main Course
 
Ingredients
  • 8 large short ribs
  • 4 star anise, finely ground
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, divided use
  • 1-1/2 cups ketchup
  • ½ cup pomegranate molasses
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
  • 3 tablespoons molasses
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
  • 1 ancho chile, seeded, lightly toasted, and finely chopped
  • 1 chipotle pepper from canned chile in adobo
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 quart water
  • 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
Instructions
  1. Place the ribs in a single layer on a platter. Sprinkle the ribs with star anise and 1 teaspoon salt, and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
  2. In a blender, combine the ketchup, pomegranate molasses, vinegar, fish sauce, molasses, garlic powder, onion, ancho chile, chipotle, sesame oil, and ½ teaspoon salt. Blend on high speed until smooth. Add the water, and blend again until smooth.
  3. Preheat grill to high. Brush the ribs with grapeseed oil and place on the grill. Sear on all sides except the bony rib.
  4. Transfer ribs to slow cooker and cover with the sauce. Cook for approximately 6 hours on high, or until completely tender (they will fall off the bone). Transfer ribs to a baking dish. Strain the sauce and set aside.
  5. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. To finish the ribs, add 1 to 1-1/2 cups of the strained sauce to the ribs and place them in the oven. Cook, basting frequently, until the sauce is thick, and the ribs are glazed, approximately 15 minutes. (Note: If you're pressed for time, you can omit this step and they will still be delicious, but do strain the sauce before serving.) Serve hot over mashed potatoes, polenta, or buttered noodles.

IMG_3173Season the ribs with star anise and salt and let them sit for an hour

My husband likes to sear them in a cast iron skillet on the grill

Ready for the slow cooker

In they go

006 (7)

Covered with sauce — see ya in 6 hours

Ready!

FRAGRANT SPICED LENTIL SOUP WITH KALE RIBBONS

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I found this murano glass paperweight at an estate sale.

Murano glass has been made on the Italian island of Murano for centuries.  I don’t know if this paperweight was made in Italy, but it was part of a collection of fancy paperweights, so I believe it was.  I bought it thinking my kids might like it.  And they did like it — but neither of them wanted it.  So I kept it, and from time to time I pick it up and look at all the colorful ribbons of glass running through it.

I’ve always had a thing for ribbons.  When I was a nurse working at Texas Children’s Hospital, I wore colorful ribbons in my hair, which my little patients liked.  I quit wearing them when I got to law school, because being a “bowhead” was not cool — the term generally referred to the giggly undergrads who used to hang out at the law library in the hopes of . . .  well, you know.

When my daughter was little, I collected all kinds of ribbons and made tons of hairbows for her and my friends’ kids.  There’s something special about wearing a brightly-colored bow.  I still have a lot of ribbon, and one day soon I am going to have a bow-making bonanza and make loads of hairbows to send to my friends for their adorable little granddaughters.

The ribbons in the colorful paperweight inspired this recipe for Fragrant Spiced Lentil Soup with Kale Ribbons.  I love this soup, and make it several times each winter.  This soup is different than other lentil soups I’ve had — the fennel and star anise make it fragrant and a little out of the ordinary.  It’s worth the trouble to grind the spices for this soup.  Just before serving, add in a handful or two of thinly-sliced kale ribbons for color and extra nutrition.

I like lentils because they require no soaking, and cook in about 30 minutes.  Did you know that lentils are one of the oldest domesticated crops in the Old World?  (Yep, one step closer to being Cliff Clavin.)  I usually use the large brown lentils found in bags among the dried beans at the grocery store.  On this occasion, however, I used fancy schmancy Le Puy green lentils:

Look — they’re from France!

These are smaller than the lentils I usually buy, and are dark gray-green in color:

They held their shape well, and were earthier than regular lentils — more lentil-y — and made a delicious soup.

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FRAGRANT SPICED LENTIL SOUP WITH KALE RIBBONS
Author: 
Recipe type: Soup
 
Ingredients
  • ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 whole star anise
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1 stalk celery, diced
  • 2 cups dried lentils
  • 2 14.5-ounce cans chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 small bunch fresh kale, ribs removed, thinly sliced into ribbons
Instructions
  1. Grind fennel seeds and star anise in a spice or coffee grinder until finely ground.
  2. Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender but not browned. Add lentils, broth, water, ground spices, and bay leaf. Increase heat to high, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until lentils are tender but not mushy, approximately 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  3. Just before serving, add kale and simmer until kale is tender, but still bright green, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Serve hot..

Carrots, celery, and onions getting tender

M-m-m-m-m — soup

(Note the pretty tea towel — a gift from a special friend)

IMG_3141This batch was made with regular lentils — just as good