Beef short ribs for comfort
March has always been one of those unsettled months between the exuberant celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day and the dire warnings for the coming of the Ides of March. This year our prevailing embankments of snow add to the seasonal confusion and make us wish that the sleepy marmot had not been so dire in his angry predictions when awakened from his winter nap.
Warm comforting food soothes our ambiguous moods as its fragrance fills our house in preparation. Beef short ribs are a prime example of such a dish, as it’s slow cooking releases its richly tempting fragrance through hours of cooking. For slow cooking English type meaty short ribs are best. These are thick short pieces of meat with a single bone or boneless, in comparison to the long thin flanken ribs more suited for smoking or grilling.
Red wine baked short ribs
Salt and pepper 3 lb. of English type short ribs. Fry the ribs in batches in a Dutch oven on medium high heat in 2 tbsp. olive oil on all sides. Fry each batch for 6 minutes total with turning and set aside.
Drain any excess fat from the pot and sauté previously chopped: 1 large onion, 2 celery stalks with leaves and 1 carrot for 8 minutes. Stir in 3 tbsp. double strength tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes to slightly caramelize the paste. Stir in 5-6 large, sliced garlic cloves, 2 tsp. thyme leaves, 1 bay leaf, 8 peppercorns, 1 star anise, 2 sprigs rosemary and 1 tsp. anchovy paste. Cook for 2 more minutes, stir in 3-4 cups red wine, 1 cup beef broth and 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar. Bring to boil, return meat to the Dutch oven and press down to cover with liquid. Add a bit of additional beef broth if needed. Cover tightly and bake at 325 degrees for 3 ½ hours.
Remove bay leaf, rosemary sprigs and star anise from the sauce. Most recipes at this point strain the sauce, but for a truly delicious, thickened sauce purée the vegetables and the sauce. Return the meat to the sauce and heat before serving. Serve with mashed potatoes or wide noodles and broccoli with Parmesan. Short ribs reheat well and make delicious leftover sandwiches.
Rosemary roasted vegetables
Roasted vegetables are an easy side for grilled meats, chicken or fish. Added herbs bring out the complexity of these different flavors. Whisk together 4 tbsp. olive oil, 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, 2 minced garlic cloves and stripped leaves from a 10–12-inch rosemary sprig.
Toss with peeled and cut up vegetables: 1 large potato, 2 parsnips, 4-5 pieces of cauliflower and 1-2 carrots. Spread on a baking sheet, sprinkle with kosher salt and roast at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, turn the vegetables and roast for an additional 8-10 minutes.
Banana-Pecan bread
Whenever I have leftover over-ripe bananas, I make this bread/coffee cake that freezes well for days with too little time to make dessert.
Whisk together 2 ¾ cups flour, 3 tsp. baking powder, ½ tsp. baking soda and 1 tsp. salt. In a large bowl using an electric mixer cream ½ cup butter with 1 and 1/3 cups sugar till fluffy. Beat in 3 eggs one at a time, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 tsp. lemon extract, 2 tbsp. half and half and 1 ½ cups mashed bananas. Add flour in 4 portions, mix thoroughly and then stir in 3/4 cup chopped pecans using a spoon. Divide between two 8x4 inch greased loaf pans. Smooth out the top and garnish with a row of pecan halves. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and turn out to complete cooling. Serve sliced at room temperature. Delicious with a splash of Vin Santo.
As basketball fans look to the March Madness tournament, Emily Dickinson summarized it for everyone: “March is the month of expectation, the things we do not know.” Our positive and hopeful focus should remain on the word- ‘expectations’.
(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day…”and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)
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