Short Ribs
It occurs to me (and it isn’t exactly a surprise to me) that I have not posted in my blog in several months. As anyone who has ever studied to be a doctor, a lawyer, or an actor or artist knows… it’s tiring and you don’t have free time. Recently however, with school being finished and my trip to Israel finished (perhaps more on this in the future) I have been cooking with Jen and we have made some really good dishes. Although there are no photos for some of them, here are recipes and ideas for those interested:
1. Beef and Ginger Maple-Glazed Short Ribs
Here’s what we (Jen) did.
Head over to your organic farmer’s market and purchase 4 beef short ribs (they should be about $3.75-$5 but basically 3-4 segments in each “short rib.” If you can find it, find a maple syrup salesperson. We found an amazing store that sells not only maple-syrup marshmallows but also flavored maple syrup. We bought a 9oz bottle of their ginger infused maple syrup (don’t fear, you can do this recipe without it, but if you don’t have to… I wouldn’t). Pick up some garlic, some butter, and some pineapple juice and head home. Turn on your crock-pot to high and put in the short ribs (thawed) and pour over the syrup. If you didn’t purchase the amazing ginger-infused maple syrup, shred about 2-3 tbsp of ginger into the crock pot. Otherwise, pour the whole bottle in, stir and add 2 cloves of diced ginger (if you like). Add a stick of butter and leave for four hours stirring occasionally. Return, and remove the bones from the shortribs (they’ll fall right off) and then pour in 3 splashes of pineapple juice and return the lid to the crock pot, switch it to low, and leave for another 2 hours. Plate and enjoy. (We had this with homemade mashed potatoes and asparagus)
other ideas to follow
It’s been a while since I had the time to cook let alone blog about what I cooked. But now that studio is over for the semester, I have time!
Squash Pie
1 pkg frozen cooked winter squash (ie Birds Eye), defrosted—warmed or not
½ cup flour
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
Cinnamon to taste
1 prepared pareve graham cracker crust (ie Keeblers)
Combine flour and sugar. Stir in eggs and oil. Beat well. Add squash and beat well. Add cinnamon to taste. Pour mixture into prepared crust.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
Serve hot or just warm.
Dinner 9-5-11
Tonight for dinner Jennifer and I made caramelized onions, mashed butternut squash with cinnamon, brown sugar, salt + pepper, and pan seared chicken breast with a Moroccan and French spice rub. Perhaps not the most “classical” meal, but definitely delicious.
For the caramelized onions:
To caramelize the onions, check out this great website with step by step instructions: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_caramelize_onions/ alternatively, follow this very simple list of very simple steps.
1. slice onion in half (separate off the end that nobody wants to eat), then lay each half on its flat side and cut the way you might slice an apple. Repeat step 1 with 4-5 onions, both halves.
2. In a medium-large pan that has been heated, pour a tsp. of olive oil per onion and 1 tbsp of butter.
3. Put the onions in and stir every two minutes until they begin sticking, then every minute, then as often as you need to to keep them from burning on the pan but long enough for them to continue to brown. (This process will take about an hour).
4. pour 1-2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar into the pan and mix for about a minute.
5. serve hot, is enough for 4-5 people to have medium servings.
For the butternut squash:
1. Slice in half long-ways and then clean out the seeds and crud.
2. Melt a tbsp of butter and spread lightly over both halves of the butternut squash.
3. Sprinkle pepper, salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon onto the halves.
4. Place in preheated oven (425 degrees F) for 1 hour or until fork can slide into the squash tenderly.
5. Pour 3/4 of a cup of walnuts into a Cuisinart food processor and mix to a medium-fine powder.
6. Add the warm squash when it is finished (slice it as you might a melon, no rind).
7. Blend together, more blending will equal a smoother consistency.
8. Serve hot, is enough for 3-4 people to have medium-large servings.
For the chicken:
1. Take 2 breasts of chicken and sprinkle a healthy amount of Seasoning Salt, Moroccan spice, and a blend of oregano, basil, and other green herbs you enjoy. We used two mixes one labeled “Moroccan spice” and one labeled “French spice,” I can’t really say what’s in the Moroccan, but think spicy.
2. In a hot pan pour 3-4 tbsp. of olive oil and let it get hot.
3. Place the chicken in the pan and add more spices to the other side if you did not do this on your cutting board.
4. WASH YOUR HANDS :)
5. Once beginning to brown on one side, flip the chicken and cover pan.
6. Cook until browned on both sides and no longer raw inside.
7. Serve hot and enjoy
Existence as an artist
If you are only a reflector of information, are you really there?
- Jaron Lanier, cutting edge pioneer in virtual reality and new technologies
Moving in
All moved in to the new apartment, photos of the place will arrive shortly.
We’re surrounded by great Indian restaurants in all directions. We’re going to try one called Bhatti tonight, supposedly one of the most authentic Indian restaurants around.
The Native Tourists’ production of Fool For Love began rehearsals yesterday and we are very excited.
Find something inspirational
Fluffy Pancake Recipe:
-
-
Combine milk with lemon juice in a medium bowl and set aside for 8 minutes to “sour”.
-
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk eggs and butter into “soured” milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone. Add chocolate chips, vanilla, and cinnamon. Wisk until cinnamon and vanilla are mixed in.
-
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and drop a tab of butter onto the center. Spread the butter around with your metal spatula. Pour generous ladle-fulls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.
-
1.5 cups milk
3/4 of a lemon, squeezed (remove seeds)
1 cup all-purpose flour
3.25 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Dash of salt
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup Chocolate Chips
2 Tsp Vanilla
2 Tsp Cinnamon
Directions
Beef Tenderloin Linguine Recipe:
Ingredients needed:
1 package of pasta
1 ½ pounds beef tenderloin, trimmed & tied
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 oz. shallots (2 large), peeled & diced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup homemade beef or chicken stock, or canned
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoon grainy mustard
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Rub beef on all sides with the salt & pepper. Place a skillet with an ovenproof handle -I used a Le Creuset pan but any ovenproof handled pan will do- over medium to high heat. Test the pan by spritzing a tiny bit of water into the pan with your fingers, and then if the water sizzles, add olive oil. When very hot, add the meat; sear on all sides until sides are browned.
3. Transfer the pan to oven for 10 minutes. Add shallots to pan; return to over for 20 to 25 minutes more, or until a meat thermometer registers 135 degrees for medium rare. Remove beef from pan; let rest on a cutting board for at least 10 minutes.
4. When the meat starts resting, drop your pasta in the water. You should prepare a pot of boiling water when you begin, lightly salt it. Cook al dente to package directions (usually about 12 minutes). Place the pan with the shallots over medium to high heat, and deglaze by adding balsamic vinegar, stirring up any browned bit from the bottom with a wooden spoon.
5. Add the stock, and simmer until slightly reduced, 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, and stir in mustards and butter. Keep sauce warm until serving.
6. Cut beef into bite size amounts and serve over the pasta with sauce poured on top.
Serves 4
