As the first snow has already flown (It’s too early!), my thoughts invariably are beginning to turn to tummy-warming food-hug type dishes. More often than not, braising is what I turn to most often.
Talk to any chef about braising, and you’ll instantly get his or her attention. To a chef, braising is the ultimate marriage of both technique and simplicity, an oxymoron unless you’re talking about French cuisine! It’s easy to grill an expensive steak to temp and have it taste great…well not easy, but it’s much more difficult to take a relatively cheap, tough piece of meat and through the use of technique and time, coax it out of its tough exterior and enter the sublime.
Braising is a cooking method by which food is usually browned (not always), then cooked tightly covered with liquid for a lengthy period of time. The amount of liquid varies depending on what is being braised. Braising almost always utilizes large, tough cuts of meats whereby the lengthy cooking time allows these tough cuts to break down into something approaching culinary nirvana on your plate. Braising can be done either on top of the stove or in the oven (my preferred medium). But be careful. The chef walks a razor-thin line between tenderness and overcooked. End up on the wrong side and it’s unforgiving: Nothing can be done with an overboiled piece of meat, no matter how sexy the ingredients. Braising does not mean cooking it until it’s falling off the bone, either. Although in some cases it’s warranted.
One of my favorite things to braise is Beef Shortribs. Because there’s so much fat in the ribs, it’s more difficult to overcook, so perfect for the novice braiser. Serve these on or off the bone (remove meat after they’re cooked) over soft polenta and winter greens, using the braising liquid as the sauce. Email me with questions or concerns and good luck!
Braised Beef Shortribs Serves 4 8 Beef Shortribs, english cut or about 2 inches in lenght bone in. 2 cups AP Flour Salt and Pepper 4 TB Olive Oil 1 onion, chopped 2 carrots, chopped 1 fennel bulb, chopped 2 celery ribs, chopped 4 garlic cloves, peeled left whole 2 TB tomato paste 2 C red wine 2 C Beef broth 1 C Chicken stock Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large braisier or dutch oven over med-high heat. Season the ribs with salt and pepper then dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Place ribs in hot oil, browning on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Turn heat to medium and add all the veggies. Saute veggies for about 5 minutes or just softened. Add tomato paste and continue to stir and saute for another 5 minutes. Add the wine and stir to combine all. Reduce for 5 minutes then add the ribs back into the pot. Add the beef and chicken stock. The liquid in the pot should come just to the top of the ribs. Remove from heat, cover, and place in oven for 2 1/2 hours or until ribs are very tender, but not necessarily falling off the bone. Remove ribs from liquid. Strain 3 cups of liquid into a sauce pan, de-fatting the braising liquid (shortribs have lots of fat!) and reduce by half and serve with the ribs.
