Red Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs
Ingredients 6 beef short ribs Salt and pepper 2 tbsp bacon fat (or olive oil and butter) 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 large yellow onion, chopped 2 large celery stalks, chopped 2 large carrots, chopped 2 tbsp tomato paste 1 cup dry red wine 4 cups beef stock/broth, low sodium 5 sprigs thyme 2 bay leaves Worchestershire Sauce-to taste Directions: Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Generously season ribs with salt and pepper. Heat bacon fat (I find this gives the best flavour but a mixture of olive oil and butter works too) on medium-high heat in large enamel cast iron pan. Sear ribs on all sides and transfer to plate while searing remaining ribs. Turn heat to medium and in the same pan as you seared the ribs, add carrots, celery, onions, and garlic. Season with more salt and pepper and sautée for approximately 5 minutes. Deglaze pan with red wine and reduce by approximately three quarters. Add ribs and their juices back into the pan with the vegatables. Add the stock to completely cover the ribs, thyme, bay leaves, and worchestershire sauce. Place lid on pan and place in oven to cook for approximately 5 hours. When ribs are tender, remove from the braising liquid. Strain braising liquid and reserve. Place ribs back in strained braising liquid to keep warm until serving.
Watermelon Salad with Feta and Fresh Mint
Honestly, there is nothing simpler than this salad. Not only is it quick to make and refreshing on a hot summer day it's also one of my favourite summer salads. Watermelon, cut into cubes Feta cheese, cut into cubes Fresh mint torn into small pieces That's it, that's all. You can fancy it up with some balsamic glaze. But I prefer it plain. Or if you are not a fan of mint, another fresh herb to use is basil. This salad looks pretty on a plate or in a bowl and compliments any meal on the dock.
Lemon Basil Pasta with Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
I'm a BIG fan of roasted brussels sprouts. I'm also a big fan of homemade basil pesto. So naturally when I came across Teigan Gerard's recipe in her Super Simple Half Baked Harvest recipe book series, I needed to try it. The only changes I made -- because I didn't have them in my pantry-- was I used bacon instead of prosciutto and parmesan cheese instead of manchego. This recipe comes together really quickly and is easy to make on a busy weeknight. In total, it takes about 30 to 40 minutes. 1 lb Spaghetti 8 slices of bacon, each slice cut into 4 or 5 pieces (I use bacon from a butcher shop. You could also use prosciutto) 1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half Fresh ground salt and pepper to taste 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves 1 cup basil pesto (homemade or store-bought) 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled 1/3 cup parmesan (or manchego) Juice and zest of 1 lemon Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. When boiling add pasta to the water and cook according to package instructions. When cooked, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain pasta. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, cook the bacon pieces until done to your liking. Remove bacon from the skillet and leave about 2 to 3 tbsp of bacon in the pan. Add the brussels sprouts, cut side down, stirring occasionally for about 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, add the vinegar and thyme, cook until the sprouts are glazed, 1 to 2 minutes more. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the drained pasta, the pesto, goat cheese, lemon zest and lemon juice and about have of the parmesan. Add about ¼ cup of pasta water and stir to create a sauce. Adding 1 tbsp more at a time until your desired consistency is reached. Season with more salt and pepper if needed. Divide the pasta among 8 pasta bowls and top with bacon and more parmesan.
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