If you live in the Northeast, you were blessed with unseasonably warm weather for Columbus Day Weekend. I for one was very happy with this as I gutted my kitchen and installed new cabinets this past Monday. Another bonus was that my lawn has dried out a little bit more after the foot of rain and river that ran through my yard from Irene subsided.
Fast forward just a few days and the temps have dropped back to where we would expect them for this time of the year. The downside for this week is the anticipated 3-4 days of rain.
Don’t let the weather get you down. While visiting your local orchard to pick some apples might be out of the question, there is no reason why you can not go on an adventure in your own kitchen.
Do yourself a flavor! Stop by your grocery store on the way home from work and pick up some ingredients to make these tasty dishes. All are very easy to make, and you don’t need to be a culinary whiz to prepare great tasting food for you and your family and friends. While you might not have the finesse of a chef or culinarian, you are capable of great flavors if you try!
Enjoy, and please share with friends!
Braised Short Ribs with Doppelbock Gravy
I originally prepared this dish for a winter beer dinner a few years back. The strong malt flavors from the beer give a unique taste to this recipe while still paying respect to the short ribs themselves.
Ingredients
6-8 lbs. Short ribs
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 cup flour
½ cup vegetable oil
2 yellow onions chopped
2 carrots peeled and chopped
6 ribs of celery, cleaned and chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 Bay Leaves
1- 12oz Bottle Spaten Optimator Doppel Bock
1 quart beef broth
Method
-Preheat oven to 325°. Heat a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat.
-Add oil to pan. Dredge the short ribs in flour and brown on all sides.
-In a roasting pan arrange the vegetables on the bottom; place the short ribs on top.
-Season with salt and pepper add the bay leaves and one quart of beef broth.
- Deglaze the skillet with the Spaten Optimator and pour over the short ribs.
-Cover with foil and bake for 1hr. 45 minutes to 2hrs. or until tender.
-Remove the short ribs to a baking sheet, cover and leave in the oven set to warm until service.
Doppel-Bock Gravy
Ingredients
Reserved liquid from the roasting pan (as much fat removed as possible)
¼ cup tomato paste
2 oz butter
1/4 cup flour
Salt and Pepper to taste
Method
Melt butter over medium-high heat in a saucepan. Whisk in flour to make a roux. Cook for about two minutes. Add tomato paste and juices from the roasting pan. Stir constantly until the sauce reaches a boil. Season as necessary.
Sweet Potato and Bacon Hash
This is a great side dish that compliments the flavor profile of the short ribs. The bacon and the thyme add a smokey and earthy element for a meal that not only will taste great, but will look great too!
Ingredients
3 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into ½ inch cubes
8oz bacon diced
1 medium sized Spanish onion diced
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Method
Render the fat from the bacon over low-medium heat until bacon is crisp. Strain and reserve both the bacon fat and bacon bits separately. Bring water to a boil in a medium size sauce pan, salt and add the sweet potatoes. Boil for 5-6 minutes. Strain. In a large skillet or sauté pan over medium high heat sauté the onion in ¼ cup of bacon fat until it begins to caramelize (6-8 minutes). Add the sweet potatoes and brown on all sides (add more bacon fat as needed). Once the sweet potatoes are browned, add the reserved cooked bacon, fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Heat through and you are ready to serve.
Wild Mushroom and Bleu Cheese Mac and Cheese with Pancetta
Picture a great steakhouse side dish of sautéed wild mushrooms finished with bleu cheese. This would be a flavorful accompaniment for a nice strip steak. However, putting a twist on a steakhouse side, I added some pancetta and pasta to make it a stand out dish on its own.
Ingredients
2 tblsp canola oil
8 thin slices pancetta, chopped
12 oz penne pasta
¼ cup salt
1 medium portabella mushroom cap, gills removed, diced ½”
6 shitake mushrooms, stems removed, diced ½”
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
¼ cup white wine
1-1/2 cups cream
2 oz sharp white cheddar grated
4 oz bleu cheese crumbles
Method
Heat the canola oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta to the pan and cook until it begins to crisp.
As the pancetta is cooking bring 1 gallon of water to a rolling boil. Add pasta and salt and cook for 6-8 minutes or until al dente.
Once the pancetta begins to crisp add the portabella and shitake mushrooms to the sauté pan. Season the mushrooms with salt, pepper and fresh thyme and cook until tender. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping the pan to loosen any browned bits in the pan. Reduce the wine by half. Add the heavy cream to the pan and bring to a simmer, cook until slightly thickened.
When the pasta is done, drain it and add it to the sauté pan. Remove the pan from the heat and toss the pasta with the white cheddar and bleu cheese crumbles. Once the cheese is incorporated it is ready to serve.
Roasted Vegetable Soup
Vegetable soup, blah, blah, blah. Don’t get me wrong, vegetables are tasty, But who hasn’t made a vegetable soup before. This recipe takes some great vegetables, roasts them up to bring out their natural sugars and makes it a memorable soup to warm the soul on a cool autumn day. Try it with a dollop of sour cream when you serve it and you will be in heaven!
Ingredients
¼ cup canola oil
1 medium onion, quartered
1 fennel bulb, quartered
2 medium carrots cut in 1” pieces
2 medium parsnips cut in 1” pieces
1 acorn squash, peeled, seeded and cut in 1” pieces
1 tblsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
½ cup apple juice
1 oz honey
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1-1/2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock
Method
Preheat oven to 350º. Mix all vegetables with oil, salt and pepper and place in a roasting pan. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes until all vegetables are tender and lightly caramelized. Deglaze pan with apple juice and transfer all ingredients to a stock pot. Add honey, dried herbs and stock. Bring soup to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Ber-mix the soup until 50% blended for a smooth and chunky consistency. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Cream of Leek and Potato Soup
The hardest part of making this soup is to break down the mental barrier that you can’t make a great cream soup without a roux. In fact this is a great soup that can be made gluten-free. This is a simple yet refined recipe that will have you wowing not only your family and friends but yourself as well.
Ingredients
2 oz butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium rib of celery, chopped
6 leeks, white part only, split, cleaned and sliced ½”
2 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
1 bay leaf
2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and diced ½”
1 quart vegetable stock
2 cups heavy cream
Method
Melt butter in a stock pot over medium heat. Sauté onions, celery and leeks until translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Add bay leaf, potatoes and chicken stock. Cook until potatoes are tender. Remove bay leaf and ber-mix until smooth. Add heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.
