Celeriac and Braised Short Ribs

And I'm back! Sorry it's been so long, life's been busy.

Let's jump right in! Sethy gave Adam and I two Thomas Keller cookbooks a while ago, and this was my first attempt at one of his beautiful, complicated recipes. The two books are French Laundry and Ad Hoc. French Laundry is amazing, and has ridiculous difficult recipes that require more skill than I have right now. Ad Hoc is a little more approachable, and I've paging through it for weeks trying to decide what to do first for SND. Here's what I came up with: Braised beef short ribs with Celery root (celariac) with melted onions. SERIOUSLY YUMMY. Thomas Keller kicks ass. This took quite some time, so be sure to start early in the day! This recipe is why I love SNDs.

Okay, ribs first. You need to first create an amazing reduction to braise the ribs in. Start with combining (in a large dutch oven) 1 bottle of dry red wine (something you'd drink! remember, you're concentrating flavor here) with 1 cup of diced yellow onion, 1 cup of carrot slices, 1 cup of sliced leeks, 1 cup of sliced shallots, 1 cup of sliced button mushrooms, 3 thyme sprigs, 6 sprigs of flat leaf parsley, 2 bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon of black peppercorns, and 3 cloves of smashed garlic. Bring this to a simmer over high heat, then reduce the heat (and the sauce!) for thirty to forty minutes. Don't be tempted (I was!) to salt/pepper this reduction - you are going to add seasoning later.

Whilst you're reducing the wine sauce, trim any sinew that is on your short ribs (you should have 2 1/2 pounds of boneless chuck short ribs), making sure to leave the fat and silverskin intact. Here's where you season: salt and pepper all sides of the ribs generously, then give them a good dredge in some flour. Make sure to shake off any excess flour. Pour some canola oil (I'd say four to five good glugs) in a large frying pan over high heat until it shimmers. Add the ribs in fat side down, turn the heat down to medium, and brown the ribs on all sides. It should be around three minutes per side, just keep a weather eye out - no burning! Take the ribs out once they've browned and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees now! See, I'm telling you early, so you don't forget! I'm a good friend like that.

Now you're going to add more vegetables to your dutch oven with the reduced wine sauce: 1 cup diced yellow onion, 2/3 cup sliced carrots, 1 1/2 cups sliced leeks, 2-4 smashed cloves of garlic, 3 thyme sprigs, and 2 bay leaves. Mix well. Now you need to cut a piece of cheesecloth around four inches larger than the diameter of the pot. Thomas Keller recommends this because he doesn't think the meat should actually touch the vegetables during the braising process - the meat will take on the flavor of the veggies, but nothing will cling to it. You can find cheesecloth in specialty food stores (I got mine at Surfas in Culver City). Moisten the cheesecloth, wring it out well, and place on top of the vegetables/wine reduction. Add the meat on top of the cheesecloth, then add 5 cups of beef stock. Cover everything with a piece of parchment cut to fit the dutch oven, and place in the oven. Now you'll need to lower the heat to 325 degrees and braise the beef for 1 1/2 - 2 hours until super tender.

Take the meat out of the braising liquid and set aside. Strain the braising liquid and skim the fat as best as you can. Here's where I deviate from the recipe a bit. Ladle out a cup or so of the liquid, add a few tables spoons of cornstarch and whisk together. Put the braising liquid back on the stove top, bring to a simmer, and whisk in the corn starch mixture. Simmer the gravy on low, whisking occasionally whilst you prepare the ribs. Slice them across the grain into 1/2 inch thick slices. Transfer to a platter, and ladle some of the gravy on top, then put the rest of the gravy in a gravy boat for passing at the table. Delicousness. But wait! You need something to serve with these ribs! How about...Celariac with melted onions!

Yes please! Celariac or celery root is delicious. I know, it's crazy for me to think that, since I'm not a huge celery fan. This preparation really mellows out the celery flavor and totally brightens the rich braised ribs. Just try it, I think you'll surprise yourself!

This is also Thomas Keller's recipe out of Ad Hoc, and it's brilliant. Start with the melted onions. Slice three yellow onions and cook in a large saute pan over medium low with 3 tablespoons of butter. Add two good pinches of salt and stir. As the onions cook, prepare a sachet. I know, fancy right? Use some more of your cheesecloth to make a delicious pocket of flavor: 1 bay leaf, 3 thyme sprigs, 10 black peppercorns and one smashed garlic clove. Tie the cheesecloth at the top with some butcher's twine, then toss the sachet in with the onions. Cover your pan and cook on medium low heat, keeping a close eye on them. The onions need to look creamy at all times, so if they are looking dry add a bit of cold water and stir. The onions should be done after 30 minutes or so and be super melty and tender. Set aside.

I've done this a bit differently than TK - a little easier for the home cook, but with all of the basic steps and flavors. Start with 4 large celery roots. Prepare your celery root by chopping off the top and bottom, giving yourself a flat surface to work with. Slice off the skin in strips from top to bottom, working your way around the root. Quarter each root, then slice thinly with a mandoline. The will resemble wide, thin pieces of pasta. Heat a large saute pan with 2 tablespoons of butter, then add four chopped garlic cloves and some chopped fresh parsley (TK calls for thyme here, but I thought there was enough thyme in the ribs). Cook the garlic for thirty seconds, then add the celeriac. Stirring from time to time, making sure all the slices are covered with butter and garlic. Cover the pan and cook for ten minutes. Now add your melted onions. Heaven. Increase the heat to medium high and add 1/2 cup of chicken or vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer - this should be a creamy dish so add more stock if necessary. Season with salt and pepper, always tasting. The celeriac will have the texture of al dente pappardelle pasta and a wonderful, bright and creamy flavor. I really insist that you try this dish.

Serve your ribs and celeriac with a green salad and a full bodied red wine (or white if you're a red wine wimp like me ;)

Seriously, I know this sounds kind of complicated but it's so worth it! Give it a try the next time you have a special occasion and plenty of time to prepare this wondrous meal.

BFF,
d

Stroganoff Shmoganoff!

Sup duders. I feel like I have fond memories of Mom's beef stroganoff. Ma, did you make that a lot for us? I don't remember, but when I stumbled upon Tyler's Ultimate stroganoff the other day I got super excited. I must make this! So I did, and it was totally yummy, but I was left a little underwhelmed. I'll tell ya'll how I made it and let me know how you would alter? Thanks, BFF!

The absolute best part of this recipe is the beef - Tyler's Ultimate Stroganaff recommends you use beef short ribs cooked lowww and slow. It takes a couple of hours, but it was sooooo worth it. The meat fell apart and was like buttah.

Start with three pounds of beef short ribs. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Now you're going to make a yummy yummy herb paste for those suckers. Chop up five cloves of garlic - you don't need to mince here. Throw those into a bowl with a good dose of salt and pepper - use your judgment here. I probably used a half tablespoon and it made a delicious salty crust. Tear the leaves off of a couple of sprigs of rosemary and thyme, and roughly chop up a small handful of parsley. Add the herbs to the garlic and s/p, then add enough olive oil to make a sort of paste. Use your fingers to mix here, this is the time to get good and dirty. Place the ribs bone side down on a cookie sheet (a sheet of aluminum foil to catch the drippings is a good idear). Rub your herb/salt paste all over the top of all the ribs and toss those guys into the oven for two to two and a half hours until that meat is buttery and falling apart. When the meat is done, let it rest for ten to fifteen minutes and it will be easier to slice. Cut that yumminess off of the bone and then slice into servings to put on top of your noodles and sauce.

Sauce! Start with one pound of crimini mushrooms and one pound shitake mushrooms. Slice them up and throw into a large frying pan over medium heat with a five count of olive oil in it. Salt and pepper those 'shrooms and cook until the they brown. Add a 1/3 cup of minced shallot and two cloves of minced garlic and stir to combine (or do the fun pan toss). Cook that for a few more minutes (but don't burn that garlic!) then add a 1/4 cup of cognac. Be super careful when adding the cognac so you don't catch on fire! Maybe take the pan off of the heat when you add the cognac if it makes you nervous. De glaze with the cognac for a few minutes, then add the silky deliciousness of two cups of heavy whipping cream. Awww damn. I said it. Remember - this is SND! You can splurge! Calories don't count on Sundays, I swears on the precious. Turn your heat down a bit and simmer until the cream is reduced by about half. Add one tablespoon and a half of Dijon mustard and a 1/2 cup of sour cream. Turn off the heat and stir well to combine - be sure to be tasting your sauce for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Remember, your short ribs have a salty crust on them, and your sauce should be silky and a little sweet from the cream to counter act that. Toss on some freshly chopped parsley and you're done!

Serve by cooking some egg noodles and tossing those guys with butter, then top with your beautiful mushroom sauce, and your salty amazing short ribs on top. A nice crisp salad on the side or some fresh peas would be a nice accompaniment.

And go! Make this up this Sunday and let me know: what would you change to pump this up? Or was it just right?

Kisses,

D