One of my favorite things to do is to have friends over to share a meal. The planning, the cooking, the expectation, the conversation…it all goes into this experience of sharing something that I love to do with friends.
My love for entertaining comes from my parents. I remember when I was little and my mom and dad would have their gourmet group over for dinner. My mom would plan a fancy meal, making lists and prepping far in advance. My sister and I would help set the dining room table, learning quickly how to evenly space the napkins and each of the silverware pieces. Then the guests would arrive, dressed as if for a night out on the town. It was an occasion, made special by the simple fact that they were sharing it with friends.
This past Saturday night we held such an occasion, inviting a few friends over for dinner and a movie (a perfect plan for a cold night). To plan for the meal, I flipped through my recipe binder (a large binder of recipes I have clipped out and have been meaning to try), trying to decide what to cook. When I spotted the recipe for a hearty Italian recipe for Short Ribs Braciole, I knew the search was over. In fact, in the article I had clipped it from, the chef had described it as a dish that “…is great in the depths of winter; real stick-to-your-ribs stuff, if you’ll excuse the pun.” Perfect.
I was also excited to try my hand at braising short ribs, which I had never done before. I knew they would take several hours to cook and it was promised that they would be tender and delicious. Although the recipe called for boneless short ribs, I couldn’t find any meat that was boneless and from a local source. In the end, an extremely helpful butcher at Seward Co-op cut some just for me, although they were bone-in, I was happy they were fresh from a local, grass-fed source. I also grabbed a large piece of belly bacon from Seward and substituted it for the pancetta and used canned organic roma tomatoes instead of the whole tomatoes that the recipe calls for.
With the extra prep time needed, I started cooking at 4pm, dicing the onion, slicing the garlic and seasoning the meat. The bacon took it’s turn in the pan, adding the base flavor before adding the meat to brown. Next came the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes and tomatoes and then it all went into the oven for a total of 3 hours.
The result was an ultra rich tomato sauce with complex flavors from the bacon and garlic and tender pieces of short ribs. I have to admit that I had hoped that the meat would be a little more fall-off-the-bone tender (especially as I cooked it for 1/2 hour longer than it called for), but despite this minor disappointment, the flavor was undeniably amazing. I had struggled in deciding what to serve with the ribs and had ultimately decided on polenta. This turned out to be a perfect pairing, as the polenta helped to soak up the saucy flavors and add sweetness to the overall dish. For some fresh flavors and color, I drizzled lemon juice and olive oil on salad greens to serve on the side. I loved how this dish turned out and I will be making it again for the cold weather leaves us.
For dessert, I served my standby galette, this time adding dried cranberries and apples for a tart-sweet flavor. There is nothing like pulling a galette out of the oven and serving up the warm slices. The recipe is here. So simple and so good.
Short Ribs Braciole
from Andrew Carmellini, Urban Italian
For short ribs:
1/2 cup roughly diced pancetta (about 1/4 pound)
4 boneless short ribs (about 2 lbs), cut into thirds
1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
1 clove garlic, sliced ultra thin
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 – 28 oz. cans whole tomatoes
salt & pepper
For topping:
1/4 cup pine nuts, roughly chopped
1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 TBSP chopped parsley
2 TBSP grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
salt & pepper
For short ribs: Prehead oven to 375 degrees. Over M-H heat, cook pancetta in large, dry, ovenproof sauce pot until fat renders, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking. Season short ribs on both sides with salt & pepper, add to pan and brown about 5 minutes. Add onion; cook until softens, about 1 minute. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, mix well, continue cooking. Crush tomatoes over bowl with hands; add to pot along with their juice. Bring mixture to low boil. Remove pot from stove; place in oven. Check ribs every 15 minutes to make sure they are not boiling too hard. Cook until meat is super-tender and a fork can pass through it without sticking, about 2 1/2 hours…I cooked for 3).
For topping: Toast pine nuts in a dry saute pan over low heat, shaking pan occasionally to avoid burning or sticking, about 8 minutes. Add olive oil and mix well. Add bread crumbs; continue cooking for low heat, mixing occasionally, until everything is toasty brown, about 2 minutes. Add oregano and parsley. Season with salt & pepper; cook together for a few minutes so everything is warmed but parsley does not wilt. Remove from heat; add Parmigiano-Reggiano (not before – otherwise you’ll have a melted cheese mess).
To finish dish: Remove pot from oven, immediately remove ribs to plate, using tongs. Use ladle to remove some of the fat from sauce by pressing chunky sauce away as you tip pot so ladle fills only with clear fat. Add 1/2 cup water to sauce; stir to bring together. Place meat on a serving place, pour sauce from pot directly over short ribs; sprinkly topping generously on top. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
