Mario Batali's Braised Short Ribs

Credit: Esquire

I love short ribs, I might even do "MONTH OF SHORT RIBS" this month, I have enough recipes....

INGREDIENTS:

Short Ribs:
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
5 pounds boneless beef short ribs, cut into eight to ten 2-by-4-inch pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup chestnut flour
4 carrots, peeled and chopped into ¼-inch dice
3 Spanish onions, chopped into ½-inch dice
12 garlic cloves
Two 12-ounce bottles chestnut beer (or use any Dogfish Head beer)
2 cups basic tomato sauce (for quick results, try my Mario Batali pasta sauces by Gia Russa)
2 cups Brown Chicken Stock
1 bunch fresh thyme sprigs and
1 bunch fresh rosemary sprigs, tied together with kitchen twine

Gremolata:
• Leaves from 1 bunch fresh Italian parsley
• Zest of 2 lemons, removed with a vegetable peeler and cut into julienne strips
• 4 ounces fresh horseradish, grated

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large, heavy-bottomed ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over high heat until smoking. Season the short ribs aggressively with kosher salt and pepper, and dredge them in the chestnut flour, shaking off the excess. Place them, 5 at a time, in the hot oil and sear until deep brown on all sides, about 15 minutes per batch. Transfer the short ribs to a plate and set aside.

Add the carrots, onions, celery, and garlic to the skillet and cook over high heat until browned and softened, 6 to 7 minutes. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper, and stir in the chestnut beer, tomato sauce, chicken stock, and herb bundle. Scrape the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon to dislodge the brown bits, and bring the mixture to a boil. Return the short ribs to the skillet, cover, and place it in the oven. Cook for 2 hours.

Uncover the skillet and continue to cook for 30 minutes, or until the meat is fork-tender. Remove from the oven and use a ladle or a kitchen spoon to skim the fat from the braising liquid.

To make the gremolata, combine the parsley, lemon zest, and horseradish in a small bowl, and toss loosely by hand.

To serve, place the skillet on a cutting board or trivet on the table, and serve the gremolata on the side.

Candy Corn

( #candycorn )

You can make your own candy corn!?! Check this out.
Credit: The Harvard Crimson



INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup dry powdered milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup unsalted butter (or use salted butter and don't ad the 1/4 teaspoon of salt)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Food coloring

Joey's Pesto

What I love about this "recipe" is that is isn't a recipe. It is just throwing whatever the hell you have in a food processor and making something taste good. Have fun!

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups of fresh basil
4 bulbs of garlic
1/3 cup of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: Pine Nuts

DIRECTIONS:
1. Add all of the ingredients into a food processor
2. Chop until you don't see huge chunks of garlic.
3. Add on whatever you like.

Spanish Style Roasted Potatoes

CREDIT: Simply Recipes

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, or other waxy potato (peeled or un-peeled, your choice), cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch chunks
Olive oil
Salt
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup white wine (can substitute stock)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
A 14-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons Tabasco or other hot sauce
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1 Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss the potatoes with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and salt well. Arrange in one layer in a casserole pan or rimmed baking tray and roast until browned, about 50 minutes.

2 While the potatoes are roasting, make the sauce. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium pot set over medium-high heat. Sauté the chopped onions, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes, or until they begin to brown on the edges. Add the garlic and sauté another 2 minutes.

3 Add the white wine to the pan and turn the heat to high. Boil on a high boil until the wine is reduced by half, then add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Add the crushed tomatoes, Tabasco sauce, salt, sugar and smoked paprika. Stir well and reduce the heat to a bare simmer. Let the sauce cook slowly while the potatoes roast. If you want, you can use a blender or an immersion blender to purée the sauce until smooth.

4 When the potatoes are well browned, toss with the tomato sauce and return to the casserole pan. Continue to roast until the tomato sauce dries out a bit on the potatoes and caramelizes, about 10 minutes.

Serve with the remaining tomato sauce as an appetizer or side dish.