Sweet-Sour Short Ribs

When it came to recipes, my mother always said “why change a winner?!” And I agree with her — sometimes. There are some recipes that I never change: my mother’s apple pie, my grandma’s challah, almond chicken nugget hors d’oeuvres and a few others. They’re too good to mess with.

But most of the time I tinker with ingredients, change seasonings, patchke a little. Or a lot.

Most of the time it works out delightfully.

Like the other day, when I went to make short ribs. I thought I had the appropriate wine, but I didn’t. I wasn’t in the mood for beer. Stock — to me it’s just a so-so flavor for short ribs, especially when you want them sweet-and-sour.

I did have a large container of pineapple juice though, so I decided on that!

As it turns out, pineapple juice contributes both sweet AND sour.

The short ribs were perfect.

I had added fresh ginger to the dish to give it a flash of citrusy-heat. The second time I made the recipe I used chili pepper instead of ginger. The dish was equally good.

My husband said both versions, similar in taste (but one slightly spicier) were the best short ribs he ever tasted.

Sweet-Sour Short Ribs

• 4 pounds boneless short ribs

• all-purpose flour

• 5-6 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 2 large onions, peeled and sliced

• 2 large cloves garlic, chopped

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger (or one teaspoon chopped fresh chili pepper)

• 1 cup bottled chili sauce

• 1 cup pineapple juice

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1/4 cup honey

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Coat the meat with a film of flour. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large pan or Dutch oven and cook the meat for 8-10 minutes, turning the pieces occasionally, or until they are lightly browned. Add 1-2 tablespoons more vegetable oil to the pan as needed to prevent sticking. Remove the meat and set it aside. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil to the pan. Add the onions, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened slightly. Return the meat to the pan. Pour in the chili sauce, pineapple juice, apple cider vinegar and honey, stir to combine the ingredients, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Turn the heat to low, cover the pan and cook for 3-1/2 to 4 hours or until the meat is very tender.

Makes 6-8 servings

Braised Short Ribs with Harissa

Yes, it’s March already! But it feels as if it’s been March for a year.

Doesn’t it?

Hasn’t it been?

Somehow this past year of endless March I’ve been less motivated and felt less creative. Or maybe it’s just that I feel safer, more comforted with the known, even when it comes to food.

So I’ve been less adventurous than usual with recipes.

And yet, the other day I went to prepare my tried-and-true recipe for short ribs and thought I’d do a little something different. Also, I had no tomato paste. I substituted ketchup and decided to jazz the dish up with some harissa.

What a difference! This dish is a wow! It might become the tried-and-true.

Braised Short Ribs with harissa

• 1/3 cup flour

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or a few sprigs of fresh thyme)

• 4 pounds bone-in short ribs

• 5-6 tablespoons olive oil

• 3 medium onions, cut into thick slices

• 4 carrots, cut into chunks

• 3 stalks celery, cut into chunks

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1/4 cup ketchup

• 2 teaspoons harissa paste

• 1-1/2 cups beef stock

• 1 cup red wine

• cooked noodles, rice or mashed potatoes, optional

Combine the flour, salt, pepper and thyme in a dish. Coat all surfaces of the short ribs with the flour mixture. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the meat and cook, turning the pieces occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until lightly crispy on all sides. Remove the meat and place the pieces in an oven casserole. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes or until lightly crispy. Add the ketchup and harissa paste and stir them into the vegetables. Pour in the stock and wine, Stir and bring the liquid to a boil. Turn off the heat and pour the vegetables and liquid over the meat. Cover the casserole. Place in the oven. Turn the heat to 275 degrees. Cook for 3-4 hours or until the meat is very tender. Serve the meat with the vegetables and sauce by itself or over noodles, etc.

Makes 4 servings

Braised Flanken, Just Like Grandma Used to Make

We got over a foot of snow this week. That’s flanken weather. And I’m in the mood for plain old. No frills, no riffs.

This recipe is tried (many times) and true. No fuss, no bother. Good old fashioned eats. For cold weather. For comfort.

If you don’t have flanken, you can make the same recipe using “English cut” short ribs, large chunks of chuck or really any “stew” type beef.

Braised Flanken

• all-purpose flour

• salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic salt and paprika

• 6 pieces flanken

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 2 medium onions, sliced

• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 4 large carrots, cut into chunks

• 2 large all-purpose potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

• 2 cups red wine

• 2-3 fresh thyme sprigs

Mix the flour with some salt, black pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Coat the meat with the flour mixture. Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a saute pan over medium heat and cook on both sides for 5-6 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove the meat and set it aside on a plate. Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil into the pan. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Mix the tomato paste into the ingredients. Return the meat to the pan. Add the carrots and potatoes. Pour in the wine. Place the thyme sprigs on top. Turn the heat to low. Cook for about 3 hours or until the meat is soft and tender.

Makes 4-6 servings

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

Yesterday, when I was in New York City having a treat with my grand daughter Lila, we met a young couple from Sydney, Australia, who were visiting the United States. They’d already been to Los Angeles and Chicago and now New York, where they were taking in the museums and shows and having a great time.

Except, they said, they never anticipated how cold it would be here.

In Australia it’s summer. And even though they loved being here, they sort of missed the wonderful weather there.

I can’t blame them!

I wish I was there. 

But I’m not. And I’m not going to any other sunny, balmy place either.

So I’m making food that makes me feel warm. That warms up the kitchen and makes everyone feel safe and comfy.

Like these short ribs:

Braised Short Ribs

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

5-6 pounds short ribs (4 pounds boneless)

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium onions, sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

4 carrots, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces

2 stalks celery, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces

3 cups beef stock

2 cups red wine

15 ounce can tomato sauce

2-3 sprigs fresh thyme

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Mix the flour, salt and pepper in a dish. Dredge the meat, coating all sides, and set the ribs aside. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Cook the flour-coated ribs for 3-4 minutes per side or until lightly browned. Remove the meat to a dish. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery and cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes. Return the meat to the pan. Pour in the stock and wine. Add the tomato sauce and stir it in. Add the thyme and rosemary sprigs. Cover the pan. Cook at a bare simmer for about 4 hours, or until the meat is tender. Remove the meat and vegetables to a dish. Discard the herb sprigs. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat for about 6-8 minutes or until thickened. Pour the sauce over the meat to serve. Makes 6 servings

Cooking a Whole Brisket

In the world of Jewish holidays, September means brisket. It’s what’s for dinner.

At least that’s what I hear from most of the Jewish people I know and what I read in the papers.

My mother wanted to make brisket but none of us liked brown meat. We are steak eaters and, when it comes to beef, the rarer, the better. So she gave up on brisket and made a turkey during the High Holidays.

My kids — and their kids — won’t eat brown meat either. UNLESS it’s barbecued. Then there’s never enough of it. So I make brisket, Texas style, grilled and crispy-edged.

The problem with brisket is that even though it’s high on flavor, it can be TOUGH if you don’t cook it right. Most of the recipes I’ve seen say to braise it in the oven at 350 degrees.

Okay, there’s the usual fight about whether to put the meat in the oven or on the cooktop, but I don’t want to get into that one.

Either way, the best way to come out with meat that’s soft, but not mushy, firm enough but not chewy is this: brown the meat first if you like (I never do), season it to taste (I use garlic, black pepper and paprika), smother it with sweet onions (I use Vidalias but common yellow onions are fine). Seal the top with a lid (I use aluminum foil) and place it in a cold oven. Turn the heat to 225 degrees. Go to sleep. Wake up and it’s done. The meat cooks magically while you are in bed.

I love the smell of brisket in the morning.

Of course, this is good only if the brisket is large. I buy a WHOLE one, both first and second cuts, because it feeds a lot of people and has much more flavor. It also has more fat, which bastes the meat and makes it tender and even more flavorful (you can get rid of the fat after you cook the meat). And it is less expensive per pound. A large one also holds together a lot better on an outdoor grill.

If you only buy the flat, first cut, follow the same procedure but don’t let it cook for 7-8 hours. Maybe 4 or 5.

The point is: COOK IT SLOW AT A LOW TEMPERATURE.

For brisket lovers, you don’t have to do anything else, though it’s better to cook the meat the day before, separate the meat from the gravy and refrigerate everything. The fat comes to the top and you can remove and discard it. Then slice the meat, put it into a baking dish, cover it with the sauce and onions and heat it through.

For my family, I brush the meat with barbecue sauce and cook it slowly on the grill until it’s crispy on the outside.

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