Asian Style Grass Fed Short Ribs

As we approach the big poultry day, Thanksgiving, I find myself making more beef and other non poultry protein based stews and braises. So I was happy to see the newlywed Springville Ranch vendors back at our farmers market on Saturday. I bought 3 pound of their very meaty short ribs, then found some lovely baby bok choy from Mee Vang. These two ingredients and conversations with my son who recently visited South Korea, inspired me to make this dish. I used my Fagor pressure cooker to cut time but not flavor, but you can also braise the ribs in a Dutch oven, but start early in the afternoon, because they’ll need to braise for 3 hours!

Korean-Asian Style Short Ribs

INGREDIENTS:
3 pounds beef short ribs
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 (5-inch) stalk lemongrass, halved and smashed
1 tablespoon peeled and minced ginger
1-2 keffer lime leaves (if you have one handy)
¼ tsp sesame oil
1/3 cup light brown sugar
3 cups water
2 shallots, peeled and sliced thin
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Serve over Jasmine Rice
Garnish with finely grated orange peel, toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onion tops

DIRECTIONS:
Marinade the short ribs for 2+ hrs with the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, lemongrass, keefer lime, sesame oil, ginger, brown sugar, water, green onion bottoms, crushed red pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the orange juice.
If using the pressure cooker, remove the ribs and brown on all sides in 1-2 Tbsp of peanut oil in batches. Place the ribs and the marinade back in the pressure cooker; cover and lock according to directions. When pressure is up, reduce flame to maintain steady pressure, and cook for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let pressure drop on its own. Remove the ribs/bones and strain the liquid. Proceed to making the sauce and oven roasting the ribs.

If NOT using a pressure cooker: Preheat oven to 350 ˚F. Using a Dutch oven, submerged the ribs in the marinade liquid. Bake the short ribs, covered, for about 3 hours, or until the meat is tender and falling off the bones. Remove the short ribs from the braising liquid and cover to keep warm.

Finishing the sauce and ribs:
Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.
Strain liquids through a fine-meshed strainer, discarding the solids.
Drain the fat off of the cooking liquid and discard.
Place the remaining braising juices in a medium saucepan with 1/4 cup of the hoisin sauce and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the liquid until only about 3/4 cups remain.
Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of orange juice and the lemon juice.

Return the short ribs and the reduced sauce to Dutch oven, or roasting pan, coating the short ribs well with the sauce. Bake for 10 minutes, until the short ribs are heated through and slightly glazed.

Serve hot over jasmine rice, garnished with orange zest, toasted sesame seeds, and green onion tops. Stir fried baby bok choy with garlic is a great side, the bitterness off sets the sweet caramel spicy ribs.

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

Yes, a cake with cranberries! If you’re in your 50’s, you probably remember pineapple upside down cake, well this is similar but better. In my Seasonal Table class, we're using Alice Water’s The Art of Simple Food, as our textbook and this is were I found this fun recipe for evryone's upcoming favorite foodie holiday. It can be served as a dessert with whipped cream or as a brunch coffee cake. Happy Thanksgiving and thanks to Mary Jo and Rick for the lovely fresh Oregon cranberries. Yes, they were grown in Oregon!

Alice Water’s Cranberry Cake
This can be made in a cast iron pan, so that you assemble it in the pan and put it right into the oven to bake. Or if you don’t have a cast iron pan, follow the directions using a heavy 9” cake pan.
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 ¾ cups fresh cranberries
• ¼ cups fresh orange juice
• 1 1/2 cups AP flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs at room temperature, separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup milk at room temperature
whipped cream (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Melt the butter and brown sugar in an 8-10 inch cast iron pan or heavy-duty cake pan. Cook until the butter melts and starts to bubble. Remove the heat and allow to cool.
3. Heat together in a small pan, the cranberries and orange juice until the berries start to pop. Spread the cranberries in pan on top of the melted butter and sugar.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
5. In a mixing bowl, cream the remaining 1/2 cup butter with the sugar.
6. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
7. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix well.
8. Add the milk alternately with the dry ingredients, folding well after each addition.
9. In a small mixing bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites to soft peaks.
10. Fold the whites into the cake batter.
11. Spread the batter over the fruit in the cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes.
12. Remove the cake from the oven and run a small knife around the edges.
13. Let sit for 15 minutes.
14. Invert the cake onto a serving platter and let it sit another 5 minutes, then remove the pan.
15. Serve slices of cake topped with a dollop of whipped cream if desired.

Sweet Potatoes Are Amazing!

This recipe is so fantastic, that everyone, even VEGANS, will love it. Don’t try it with store bought sweet potatoes from the grocery store in the spring because the sugars will have turned to starch. Get them now when they have just been harvested and are at their peak of flavor. I’ll be serving this at a dinner I'm cooking as part of a board donation to Arts Visalia, and my focus is “the local harvest and bounty of the fall season". This will be the first course after a trio of Mediterranean dips with pita bread. (These recipes and photos :-) will be posted after the event, Nov 20, 2009.)

Caribbean Sweet Potato Coconut Soup
From Moosewood Daily Specials

Serve 4-6, yields 8 cups

INGREDIENTS

2 cups chopped onions
2/3 cup chopped celery
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp grated or finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp curry powder
¼ tsp fresh grated nutmeg
2 bay leaves
½ tsp salt
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth, or water
4 cups peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
½ tsp freshly grated lemon or orange peel
2 Tbsp dark rum
1 cup pineapple or orange juice
1 ¾ cups coconut milk (14 oz can)
2 Tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice, or to taste

chopped cilantro for garnish

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large soup pot, sauté the onions and celery with the oil until the onions are translucent. Then cover the pot and sweat the aromatics, for about 8-10 minutes, stirring often.
2. Add the ginger, curry, nutmeg, bay leaves and salt. Sauté for about a minute, stirring constantly. Add the broth or water, sweet potatoes, grated citrus peel and rum.
3. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
4. Remove and discard the bay leaves, Pour the pineapple or orange juice and the coconut milk into the pot.
5. Puree the soup in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth.
6. Reheat gently if necessary.
7. Serve garnished with cilantro leaves.

Fabulous Local Grass Fed Beef Flank Steak

Last month the Visalia our Farmers market began selling grass fed beef from Springville Ranch. Because grass fed beef is more dense than grain fed beef, it needs to be grilled quickly or braised long and slowly. With this is mind, I chose 4 lb stew meat and a flank steak to try it out. I made Jacque Pepin’s beef bourguignon stew, with extra cooking time added to get the beef fork tender. It was delicious. Then the flank steak which I think is the best flank steak I’ve ever eaten. I used our close family friend Iris McLean’s recipe, and because its so good, my copy has lots of spatters. Here's a fresh copy for you to add to your favorites. I always serve potatoes, roasted, mashed or boiled, to savor the delicious marinade that becomes a sauce, after you cook it on the stove top. Be sure to serve this steak medium rare, and sliced on the diagonal, so that it remains tender.

Iris McLean’s Flank Steak

Cook together in a sauce pan:

½ cup chopped medium yellow onion
1 lrg garlic clove, mashed or finely chopped
1 T salad oil
1 can, 10 ½ oz beef broth
½ c catsup
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp dry mustard powder
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp oregano

Cool the sauce, then marinade the scored flank steak overnight or for at least 4 hours.
Remove steak from sauce.
Cook steak over a hot BBQ or broil quickly, i.e. 4 mins on the first side, 3 mins second side.
Let meat set/ rest for 5 mins.
Slice diagonally and thinly at right angle to the grain.
Marinade can be cooked and served as a sauce for the meat or potatoes.

Toasted Almond Torte with Roasted Apricots

Last weekend I hosted an artist boutique and put out a big spread of seasonal sweet and savory treats. The eggplant and feta rolls were featured as well as a butternut squash soup with cinnamon croutons. The bread pudding with whiskey butter sauce was good, but this was the favorite of the day.
This torte recipe popped out of the files and although not a new one, Sunset April 1984, it was fantastic. I altered fruit to reflect the fall season and my frozen summer bounty. In the early summer I roasted apricots with a bit of cinnamon and honey for about 30 minutes in a hot 450+ oven, then stacked the quart bags in the freezer. After defrosting them, I spread them between the layers as a filling and again on top, prior to ‘frosting’ with slightly sweeten whipped cream.
I sliced the torte in small wedges and some even asked for seconds. YUM!


Toasted Almond Torte with Roasted Apricots

1/4 cup whole unblanched almonds
1 cup (1/2 lb.) butter or margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
1 ½ cups roasted apricots
¼ slivered almonds

Toast nuts in a 9 inch pan in a 350 degree oven until golden under skin, 10 to 12 minutes; cool. Whirl nuts in a food processor or blender to grind finely.
Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer until creamy.
Beat in eggs, vanilla, and almond.
Blend flour, baking powder, nuts; add alternately to batter with milk, blending well.
Pour into a greased 9-inch round cake pan.
Bake in a 350 degree oven until top springs back when touched, about 40 minutes.
Cool 5 minutes on rack. Invert on serving plate; cool completely.
Cut into 2 layers. Spread ½ the fruit on bottom layer; set top layer in place. Spread the rest of the fruit on cake; top with whipped cream and sprinkle with the slivered almonds. Serves 10.

Grilled Eggplant with Feta, Mint and Chili

Last week in the Seasonal Table class, we tested this recipe that I had heard about in an interview with Nigella on NPR. It was a winner and I demonstrated at farmers market. I think we sold out of most of the farmer’s eggplant! Good feta cheese is important. Since I’m not a skilled cheese maker (yet) I bought a lovely Hungarian one at the new Visalia Mediterranean market (behind Carl’s Jr in the shopping center off Mooney).
It’s getting too cold to play with knives and cook al fresco, so the recipes until spring arrives, will be those I make in class with students or at home.

Grilled Eggplant with Feta, Mint and Chili
From Nigella Lawson
Makes 20 rolls

Ingredients
2 large eggplant, each cut thinly, lengthwise, into about 10 slices
4 tablespoons olive oil
8–9 ounces feta cheese
1 large red chili, finely chopped, seeded or not, depending on how much heat you want
bunch fresh mint, finely chopped, with some saved for garnish
juice of 1 lemon
black pepper
Directions
1. Preheat a grill, stovetop griddle or broiler to a high heat.
2. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with the oil,
cook them for about 2 minutes each side until golden and tender.
3. Crumble the feta into a bowl, stir in the chili, mint, lemon juice and ground fresh black pepper.
4. Pile the end third of each warm eggplant slice with a heaping teaspoon of the feta mixture and roll each slice up as you go to form a soft, stuffed bundle.
5. Place seam-side down on a plate, and sprinkle with a little more mint

West African sweet potato & peanut butter soup

KMK farmers Kyle and Michele Reynolds have brought to market the first sweet potatoes of the season. You’ll never want to eat store bought again! Fresh sweet potatoes live up to their name. If sweet potatoes are picked, packed and shipped to market and sit in the store, the sugars turn to starch. So get a couple of pounds and make this east silky smooth and low fat soup. Full of beta carotene and other vitamins they are good and good for you! I’m serving this Saturday at the Visalia Farmers Market. I hope you’ll come taste a sample.

West African Sweet Potato and Peanut Soup
Cooks Illustrated International Cookbook
serve 4-6

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium onion, minced
1 tsp light brown sugar
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed (about 1 Tbsp)
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp cayenne pepper
3 ½ cup chicken broth
2 cups water
2 pounds sweet potatoes peeled, quartered & lengthwise and sliced thin
3 Tbsp peanut butter
ground black pepper
1 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

DIRECTIONS:
1.Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

2.Add the onion, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon (2tsp) salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened about 5 to 7 minutes.

3.Stir in the garlic, coriander and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

4.Add the broth, water and sweet potatoes and peanut butter. Bring to a boil over high heat.

5.Turn the heat to low and cook, partially covered, until the sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a knife, 25- 30 minutes.

6.Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor, until smooth and then return it to the saucepan. (The soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 days; reheat over medium low heat).

7.Season with salt and pepper to taste, stir in the cilantro and serve.