The Tall Ones were coming over for dinner and I wanted to make something hearty and filling. I also wanted to make something I've made at least once before so dinner wouldn't be too much of a disaster. The menu went a little something like this... For the meat portion of the dinner, I decided on the Braised Short Ribs with Horseradish Gremolata (Brasato al Barolo). I thought this would be the perfect recipe to make since the meat just sits in the oven for the last 2 hours of cooking. This would give me enough time to make the sides.
I made the short ribs exactly as the recipe stated. I used a 2003 Barolo that cost $24 and it was very drinkable on its own. I'm curious what effect a cheaper wine would have on this recipe, but I figured if I'm going to go to the lengths of making a recipe from Babbo, I shouldn't skimp. Jason once told me that Batali actually uses Merlot for the recipes he calls for a Barolo. I don't know what's his source, but I should try this recipe again using a cheaper Merlot and see what effect it has.
I bought 8 pieces of short ribs, about 64 ounces worth. I seasoned the ribs with salt and pepper on both sides and seared them in the dutch oven. Searing them produced a nice deep brown color. The meat shrank considerably from the bone and I feared that I may be overcooking the ribs especially since it's going into the oven for another 2 hours.
After searing the meat, I set them aside so that I could cook the carrots, onion, celery and garlic in the same pot. After the veggies were soft, in went the wine, tomatoes, stock and herbs. After it came to a boil, I placed the ribs back in. I covered the dutch oven with foil and stuck it in the oven for the next 2 hours.
For carbs, I decided to take Batali's suggestion to pair the ribs with the pumpkin orzo. Who am I to argue with Batali's suggestion? I decided to increase the recipe even though it's supposed to serve 4-6 as a side dish. The Tall Guy has a really healthy appetite. Doubling it was a bit much, so I decided to do 1.5. I used butternut squash instead of pumpkin and roasted it in the oven. The recipe didn't specify what temperature you should roast it at and roasted it at 375 for 45 minutes, it was perfect. I flubbed on the portions and forgot to add that extra half portion of honey and balsamic vinegar. It definitely wasn't as flavorful as I remember it being, and I'm sure the neglect impacted the flavor. It was still good though.
In the cookbook, next to the pumpkin orzo recipe was the broccoli rabe recipe. I always like to have a green with dinner and thought this would be perfect. I loved the roasted garlic and anchovies in this recipe. I doubled this recipe even though it's supposed to serve 4 as a side dish.
I also decided to make a side of mushrooms. Jason recently made the Wild Mushroom Saute recipe on Epicurious.com and I fell in love with it. I could do no wrong with this recipe. It's quick and easy to make. Some oil, parsley, garlic and sauteeing and you're good to go. Plus, I knew the Tall Guy loves mushrooms. "How can this not be hit?", I told myself. And I was right.
Everything came together an hour and a half later than planned. I tried to time it perfectly, but obviously, I need a little work on that. I tried to clean as I cooked and turns out I can't really do both at once. Especially not when I'm trying to cook four dishes at once. I'm not that good. At least not yet.
JR and the Tall Ones loved it. JR thought I needed to be more free with the salt. I disagreed, but he still said it turned out great. I think the best compliment came from the Tall Guy. Several times he said, "This is restaurant quality."
Success!!
The completed meal...
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment