Braised Beef fun

What’s up everyone? It’s supposed to be spring but due to Mother Nature not complying with that notice, it still feels and looks like winter. So until those spring days’ start rolling in, I don’t see why we shouldn’t have a few last minute winter dishes.

The Result - Braised beef with a Bean medley. Earlier this week I got me some big beef ribs in the supermarket. You know those days when you want a nice, warm yummy soft beef rib? No? Yes? Maybe? Okay, well today was definitely one of those days. Please soak your beans the night before so they don’t take too long on the stove.



2 lbs Beef Ribs

½ lb Onions
½ lb carrots
¼ lb celery
2 Tomato’s
1 Head of garlic(peeled)
1 ½ tbsp Smoked Paprika (toasted)
½ tbsp. Cayenne pepper (toasted)
½ tbsp. Cumin (toasted)
½ cup Brandy/ Port
4 Bay Leaves
Water
1 Cup Beans Medley
½ Cup Apple Cider

First thing I did when I woke up was get my ribs defrosting because I wanted to start everything by 2 in the afternoon for dinner. When I had seared the beef and took a picture (for the blog of course) I decided to show it off to my family and friends so I could have their mouths watering. Mission was definitely accomplished. My little sister couldn’t figure out why I was cooking ribs for so long. I had to give a quick explanation to her then she finally understood. She’s a real foodie and grieves over all the pictures I send her.


By two in the afternoon it was time to prep, season, and braise. I got the ribs and cut them into pieces. They came in two slabs, I had a total of eight ribs. I seasoned these bad boys heavily with salt and pepper, got a big pot and poured some oil at the bottom so I could start searing the ribs. Don’t use a high fire please, you will smoke out your kitchen, set off the fire alarm and if you don’t turn it off, the fire department will probably pass by your house. A medium heat is good and put two maybe three ribs in the pot and leave them to get brown. We want an even coat of caramelization on the meat. Once they are all done, put them in your roasting pan. Drain off your oil and give your pot a quick clean if you think it’s too burnt on the bottom.

If the bottom is brown, then that’s fine. That will contribute to flavor, but be very careful. If it’s got a lot of black bits and a blackish bottom, don’t use it. Just clean it, and get some new oil in there. Never compromise!

Before you go putting your pot on the fire, cut your veggies up, your carrots, onions and celery. Once they are ready, get your pot on a medium flame again, add oil then your carrots. Carrots have a higher sugar level than onions, and take longer to cook. That’s why we add them first. Once they are caramelized, add your onions. Once they have gotten nice and brown add your celery & tomato. They have the highest water content of the three so they go in last. Add a bit of salt & pepper then your spices. We are mixing all those flavors together for 5 minutes. When they are done, pour it in your roasting pan with the meat. Grab your brandy and pour it straight in to deglaze the pot, scrape the bottom. We want all that goodness at the bottom. After three to five minutes, you shouldn’t get any harsh alcoholic fumes. That’s when you pour it in the roasting pan. Then fill your roasting pan with water an inch higher than your ingredients. Put it in your oven for three hours and 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Drain your beans, put them in a pot with new water, add some bay leaf, and a little salt and pepper. Leave them to simmer on a medium heat for 1 hour. Check your beans, they shouldn’t be too soft. They need to have a little bite to them.

Once they were done I strained them and finished mine with a little dried citrus, apple cider vinegar, a little oil, salt and pepper.

Three hours are done, your house smells like awesomeness and your life is about to be a lot happier. Now, when you check your ribs they need to be soft and almost falling off the bone. That’s a good braise, when it’s almost falling off the bone. We are going to take the ribs out and store them in a container with some of the braising liquid. This is to keep the meat moist. We will separate the remaining liquid from the veggies so we can make the sauce. In a blender, add the veggies then fill it halfway with the liquid. Puree until smooth and season if necessary. There you have it, simple, good hearty food. A thick flavorful sauce, beans that have a nice sharpness to it, and a very tender beef rib.

Plating alternative: Olive Tapenade, Spiced egg, Braised beef, Burnt Onion Dust

Mediterranean Monday: Muhammara

           

Hey everyone! Another day another recipe. Two years ago I came to Toronto and ate in a well known branch of restaurants called O&B. It was there I was introduced to Muhammara. I had it with a chicken dish. Muhammara is a spicy pepper sauce. Classically it has Aleppo pepper. As I didn't have access to Aleppo, I used Red bell pepper, Cayenne & chili pepper mix, and Smoked Paprika. It's my.first time making this Mediterranean sauce, I liked the way it turned out and can't wait to use it this weekend.

Let's get to cooking!

1 Roasted Redbell pepper
1 Head Roasted Garlic
1 1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp Smoked paprika
1/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts
1/2 Lemon juice
1tbsp. Toasted Ground cumin
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Slices of a multigrain bread*

Okay so first thing is to cut the head off the garlic and drizzle with oil, wrap it in foil & roast it @ 200°F for two hours. Once that is done get your pepper, drizzle with oil and roast in a pan @ 400°F for one hour twenty minutes ( be sure to turn it every thirty minutes for an even roasting). I have a small toaster oven so I did them both separately. If you can't do that then this may take a while. I did it as soon as I woke up.

It's one of those things that you can just do, set a timer, sip your coffee and not think about it until your house starts to smell like yumminess.

Once everything is done, you can put your peppers in a bowl, wrap in cling film & steam them for five to ten minutes. In the mean time you can peel the roasted garlic. It took me a little longer than usual to peel them because I wanted minimum wastage. Measure your ingredients out and keep them in little containers. (I find measuring ahead of time is better than measuring as you follow the recipe).

Don't forget your peppers! Give them a peel, take out the seeds and just put it straight in the food processor with the garlic and oil. It will be a little thick so add a tablespoon of water. You just need this to get it going. Once it's a puree, add the other ingredients into the processor, the lemon, the peppers, salt, cumin. Taste it, check the seasoning. Always remember to put less if your not sure and check it, then add more.

Like the tapenade it's not a super smooth puree. This sauce is a bit more diverse when it comes to complimenting meat or fish, try it with a lamb, or a pulpo(octopus). Muhammara is best when served warm as a sauce. It can also be used as a spread for a sandwich. So get to cooking and make this yummy Mediterranean sauce.

*The Muhammara usually has breadcrumbs in it, but I don't want to eat too much bread so I left it out.

Roasted Garlic & Olive Tapenade

Sunday Funday! I’m sorry I have been so quiet in the past two weeks everyone. I’ve been busy. I did however get to spend a weekend in Elora, Ontario. A very quiet little town with a very unique touch to it. They had this really small bakery with some amazing bread. You know it must have been good, because when we got there, it was just after twelve and all of the bread was pretty much gone. Come to think of it, that bread would have been perfect for this tapenade.

So this tapenade reminded me of being back at Sheer Rocks in Antigua. Mine is a little different from theirs but arguably just as good. Olive tapenade is an olive spread from the Mediterranean. It can be salty, but that can easily be controlled. I didn’t add any salt to mine. A few other things to remember is that adding an acid, like lemon, will intensify the salt in anything.

1 Cup Olives, pitted

1 Head Roasted Garlic

1 Tbsp.  Toasted Walnuts

¼ tsp. Smoked Paprika

1 Lemon Segment

4 Sprigs Chopped Parsley

Black Pepper

You’re going to roast your garlic head. You can either wrap it in foil and bake it at 200°F for 2 hours or slowly confit* them in a pot of oil for 1 hour on a really low heat.

Taste your olives before you start, if they are too salty give them a quick boil to help extract some of that salt. Next we will toast the Walnuts in a pan for 5 minutes, constantly moving them around so they will toast evenly. When they are done, put them in a container to cool down.

Now, your roasted garlic, olives and walnuts are ready for the next step. Add them in a food processor with a little bit of oil (use can use the oil from the garlic) and just give it a quick blitz. The mix will never be smooth, which isn’t a problem. Once it’s done pour the mixture into a bowl. We are going to add our paprika, black pepper & chopped Parsley into the mix, stir it all in. Add the lemon juice last and add it little by little, If you put too much you can't take it out. Taste it and adjust your seasoning.

There you have it, you’re one step closer to gaining more knowledge about Mediterranean Cuisine. This spread is awesome with some croutons, or a fish. Experiment, read and learn as much as you can! Food is life! Keep cooking! Until next time everyone, have a great day. 

*To confit means to cook something in its own fat. The term is loosely used now for anything being cooked in a fat.