SHORT RIBS REDISCOVERED

Short Ribs Rediscovered

            It probably took a couple of men to lift one of those mastodon bones for dinner, but those who gnawed closest to the bone made the initial discovery, probably with a pleased grunt, that meat closest to bone is usually most flavorful. Those extinct mastodon bones are not on the menu these days, but fortunately the knowledge about flavor has survived in human memory.

            Strangely that flavor memory tends to be sublimated when food trends favor boneless lean cuts and fast cooking methods. However, with increasing food prices, even trendy restaurants and magazines have rediscovered some of the ‘cheaper’ cuts of meat. This too is nothing new, since the grand chefs of French court made that rediscovery hundreds of years ago and happily left us a record of how to treat beef ribs, long and short, for a delectable outcome.

            My first encounter with beef ribs actually occurred quite a few years ago. In the 80’s, my husband and I were on the faculty at the University of Nevada in Reno and would occasionally have Friday lunch at a pub on the edge of town. ‘Liberty Belle’ was an ‘institution’ left over from years past. It was dim, dark, with long wooden tables and rough paneling, featuring ‘one-armed-bandit’ slot machines and a juke box that worked. The menu was limited and served cafeteria style.  There were barbequed beans, some kind of meat and always large 6-8 inch beef ribs in a spicy sauce, which you could order by number (one rib or two).  One rib was usually filling enough for me, but local construction workers would load their plates with three, plus beans and a side salad. They certainly would have been quite at ease with a mastodon bone.

            All these thoughts and memories led me to consider serving short ribs of beef as part of a ‘harvest dinner’ from our garden to friends.  The only problem was that cooking short ribs, even cut to 2 ½ inch size for 8 people would require an enormous pot. Yet, considering the time and effort needed for this dish, it would not have been worth doing it for a smaller number. This problem is apparently encountered by other home cooks, since trimmed boneless beef short ribs are readily available at the supermarket. Removal of the bone reduces the size and does not affect much of the flavor.  So, with a nod to anthropology and history, here is my evolved recipe for beef short ribs. The recipe does take time, though the ‘hands on part’ is not very extensive. And except for the bottle of inexpensive cabernet, the meal is certainly thrifty enough to serve to eight persons.

                                    Short ribs in wine

            For least effort start by dry-marinating the short ribs overnight 2 days before the dinner. Cut 4 lb. boneless short ribs in half to about 2 ½ inch size. Mix the dry rub: 2 Tblsp. coarse salt, 1 Tblsp. ground pepper, 2 Tblsp. fresh thyme leaves and 1 Tblsp. fresh rosemary leaves slightly chopped. Place the meat in a glass dish in a single layer and rub both sides with the dry-marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

            Brown the meat in a large Dutch oven in batches in 2 Tblsp. vegetable oil about 6 minutes per batch. Set aside. Add to the remaining hot oil chopped vegetables: 3 onions, 3 carrots and 2 celery stalks and cook for 5 minutes. Then add 3 Tblsp. flour, 1 Tblsp. sundried tomato paste and continue to stir for 3 minutes more until roux starts to brown. Gradually stir in 1 (750 ml) bottle of cabernet. Bring to boil and cook until volume is reduced by one half. The wine reduction is what makes the difference in flavor between this and a crockpot recipe.

            When the wine has been reduced add a fresh herb bouquet, 4 inch sprigs loosely tied with thread: 10 flat leaved parsley, 4 oregano, 4 thyme, 1 rosemary and 7 cloves of garlic cut in half plus 4 cups reduced sodium beef broth.  Bring to boil, return the meat to the pot, cover tightly and bake in a 350 degree oven for 3 hours. When slightly cooled, discard the herb bouquet, remove the meat to a bowl and strain the sauce over it. Refrigerate overnight, which will blend the flavors and allow you to remove any fat from the surface. While reheating, sautè ½ package of pearl onions and  8oz of mushrooms quartered in 2 Tblsp. butter and stir in the short ribs. Serve with mashed potatoes, since the sauce is incredible.

            Now all food magazines will give you advice on how to deal with potential disasters at dinner parties. Here is one they did not cover. As we finished the short ribs main course, one of our two cats emerged from under the buffet with a soft growl and a freshly caught mouse in her mouth. Only in Maine! She was most proud of her ‘harvest’, but in the excitement promptly lost it under the refrigerator. However, there were no screams and except for a few comments on the unexpected ‘animal entertainment’, conversation continued unabated.  I don’t think it would have played like this in New York!

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

FALL PLEASURES

Fall Pleasures

 

            It does not require the official date for fall equinox to get me in the mood for the changing of seasons. Granted, the rains and early frost warnings have had their influence, but frankly the overabundance of this year’s garden has practically worn me out. We should be well supplied for the winter with pickles, peach conserves and a freezer full of vegetables, some already in the form of curried soups or various medleys for huevos rancheros and other vegetable sauces. All of which of course will be better appreciated in January.

            An even better reason for seasonal change lies in anticipating the changing flavors of the season.  Bountiful fall apples from local orchards, the solid and substantial squashes of every stripe and color, the cheerful gold of pumpkins even on a rainy day,  all signal the welcoming reappearance of a warmth in the kitchen and on the table, that spell the comfort of home.

            We think of old favorite family recipes and dust off the crockpot. At the same time, the heady summer feeling is not quite gone and we appreciate the thought of updates for old favorites and occasionally find ourselves delighted with a dish that is so ‘out of the box’ to be incongruous and yet turns out to be utterly delicious.

            Recently, my thoughts had turned to that quintessential fall food sauerkraut and I was contemplating a necessary supply stop in at Morse’s. It must have been on my mind when we stopped for lunch at the Happy Clam, a German and coastal blend restaurant in Tennant’s Harbor. There on the menu was truly an item from ‘out of the box” thinking – Lobster Reuben.  Of course I had to try it and can report that the idiosyncratic, slightly tangy combination of fresh sauerkraut, sauce and tender chunks of lobster on a grilled rye sandwich are not only absolutely delicious, but could be addictive.  The traditional Maine’s lobster roll now has an inspired companion.

            Apples are everyone’s delight this time of the year. Somehow it seems that their shape and color alone make them the friendliest looking of all fruit and the juicy crunch of that first bite has a special appeal. Recipes for apple deserts abound from pies to muffins and cakes.  The simplest of recipes, which harkens back to my childhood memories, is an open faced flat yeast sweet dough cake, topped with overlapping apple slices slightly browned with sugar and cinnamon. The other day, being a bit short on time, I needed to improvise. Since sweet yeast dough takes at least a couple of hours to make, I simply took a shortcut and used some commercial Crescent roll dough, from the refrigerator.

                                                Sweet apple flat bread

            Line a 11x15 inch pan with parchment paper. Unroll the dough from 2 packages of Crescent Dough and spread out flat on the pan, fitting the pieces tightly with your fingers with no open seams. Prepare the topping mixing 1 scant cup of sugar with 1 tsp. cinnamon.  Pare and quarter 5 large Cortland or other firm apples, drop the quarters in 3 cups water with 1 Tblsp. lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Drain quarters and slice each quarter in 4-5 slices. Arrange the slices slightly overlapping in rows lengthwise along the dough on the pan. Drizzle with 1 Tblsp. lemon juice. Melt 4 Tblsp. butter and brush the apples with melted butter. Sprinkle the sugar topping over the apples, drizzle with any remaining butter and sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Serve cut in squares warm or cold. For a smaller cake use one package of Crescent dough and a 7x12 inch pan and cut the rest of the ingredients in half. The cake keeps well for a day or two.

            I still need to make that trip to Morses, since there is a sparerib and sauerkraut dinner on my list.

              (I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

IMPROMPTU SEASONAL GATHERINGS

Impromptu Seasonal Gatherings

            Unplanned gatherings with friends or family need not cause stress in the kitchen or the unnecessary reach for the phone for a pizza delivery. Our summer garden or farmer’s market bounty has likely spilled over the kitchen counter and crammed the refrigerator. At least so it seems at our house. Thus, with a little ingenuity and not too much effort it is possible to assemble a quick supper or luncheon that will please most everyone on rather short notice.

            Recently we had occasion to rise to some challenges in quick meal preparation and the results were tasty and worth sharing. Creativity and inspiration in flower arranging is often needed by the scarcity of large bouquets of flowers leading to the imaginative arranging of a few blooms or greens. This time of the year, in contrast, one needs to be creative with the abundance of some vegetables or fruit. And I do not mean the old jokes about leaving summer squash on your neighbors back doorstep.

            But yes, the backbone of one of those dishes is summer squash, preferably picked young, tender and yet firm. The trick here is minimal cooking, so that the texture remains pleasantly between the cooked vegetable and a salad.

                        Italian sausage – summer squash ring

            Grill 8 sweet or hot Italian sausages until cooked. Cut each in 3 pieces and keep warm.  Quarter 3 green and 2 yellow 8 in. summer squashes lengthwise and chop the quarters in less than 1 inch pieces. Quarter a medium onion and slice. Cut a seeded red pepper in strips about 1 inch long. In a large sauté pan heat 2 Tblsp. olive oil to hot, then stir in onion, pepper, 2 chopped garlic cloves and the squash. Sprinkle with 1 Tblsp. oregano, ½ tsp. red pepper and sauté with stirring for 2 minutes. Stir in ½ cup marinara sauce mixed with 1 Tblsp. balsamic vinegar and 1 tsp. fish sauce or soy sauce. Continue stirring for another minute until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, stir in ½ cup chopped fresh parsley. To serve, pile the sausage pieces on a large rimmed platter and surround with a ring of the squash mixture. Sprinkle the vegetables with 4 oz. crumbled Feta cheese.  Serves 6-8.

            Amazingly enough, peaches do grow in Maine and local ripe peaches can be had this time of the year. We are fortunate to grow one of such trees in our yard and the aroma of a tree ripened peach can not be beat. There is a small wrinkle in all of this, namely one needs to outsmart the native chipmunks, who have the innate capacity for finding the ripest peaches each morning. But we have managed to have enough for a luscious peach crisp.

                        Peach crisp with almonds and raisins

            In a bowl prepare the crumble by mixing ½ cup rolled oats, ½ cup flour, ½ cup brown sugar (not packed), 1 tsp. cinnamon, ½ tsp. ginger and then cut in ¼ cup cold butter with a pastry cutter to form crumbs. Chill, while preparing the peaches. Scald peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds to facilitate removing the skin. Skin and pit the peaches and slice in a bowl tossing with 2 Tblsp. lemon juice and the zest of 1 lemon. You should have 4-5 cups sliced peaches. Toss the peaches with ¾ cups sugar mixed with 2 ½ Tblsp. cornstarch. Layer fruit in an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with ½ cup raisins and ¼ cup slivered almonds. Top with the crumble mix and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, with or without whipped cream. 

There may be intimations of the coming fall in crisp morning air and the calendar unequivocally has declared the arrival of Labor day. But seasonal local bounty is sure to please.

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

ONE TOMATO, TWO TOMATOES, THREE...

One Tomato, Two Tomatoes, Three…

            Actually I’m still waiting for the one tomato from my garden.  But that does not prevent me from dreaming of the coming progressive bounty.  Usually by the middle of August I have at least a respectable crop of cherry tomatoes, but the weather this summer has set it’s own time table.

            The plants themselves seem to be happy enough.  The indeterminate varieties are taller than I, with clusters of green tomatoes. Even the determinate varieties and couple of the patio plants are shoulder high, but only one is showing a barely perceptible tinge of yellow color. As you surmised from the last couple of sentences, there are quite a few tomato plants in my garden this year.

            As many things happen at our house, serendipity played a significant role in this. Early this spring I started tomatoes from seed in the house, thinking that since our kittens have now reached the respectable age of three, their adult behavior would NOT include  raiding the seedlings as they emerged.

In attempting to avoid tomato blight, which had been a problem in some previous years, the plan was to try several new resistant varieties both cluster and slicing types. To make a long story short, we are now growing seven varieties of tomatoes, two to three plants per variety. It really was not gardener’s greed, just my inability to throw out perfectly good plants once they started growing.

            The rich and tangy sweet flavor of garden grown tomatoes is best appreciated when using them fresh, especially at the start of the season, before our taste buds get jaded from too much of a good thing. A quick and easy fresh tomato salad arranged on a platter is appealing to the eye as well as the palate.

                        Fresh tomato-basil mozzarella salad

            Layer slightly overlapping slices of large tomato sliced about ½ inch thick on a platter edged with fresh basil leaves. Decorate with black olives (preferably Niçoise), drizzle with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with pieces or small balls of fresh mozzarella.

            Fresh tomato slices also add extra flavor and eye appeal to slices of breaded and lightly fried summer squash or eggplant. With very little effort it is possible to turn these into an elegant lunch presentation by topping them with coarsely grated cheese and putting them briefly under the broiler.

            A particularly appealing dish is Italian ‘melanzane con gustaio’, which does not require a correct pronunciation, but only works if you like anchovies.

                        ‘Melanzane con gustaio’

            Slice a firm unpeeled eggplant in 1/3 inch slices. Salt the slices and allow to sit for about 15 minutes. Rinse off the salt and pat dry. Fry the eggplant slices in several batches without allowing the slices to touch, briefly in 2 T hot canola oil, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Top with a slice of fresh ripe tomato and an anchovy, well drained. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle lightly with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

            Real tomato aficionados will find many ways in which to feast on these delightful packets of sunburst flavor. Grape and cherry tomatoes, red or yellow make excellent snacking bites, besides being outstanding in a variety of salads. Their flavor goes well with pasta, greens, lentils, garbanzos and even quinoa and bulgur wheat.

            And sometimes, just a tomato open faced sandwich on crusty buttered bread is enough to convince me of the joys of summer!

            (I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)