Korean Style Short Ribs

To me, the Crockpot is the closest thing a muggle can get to magical cooking. Since I have no house elf to do it all for me on busy days, and cooking is one of my ways of earning room and board, I take all the help I can get from this wonder of the modern world. Waxing poetic and getting my geek on isn’t nearly as entertaining for you as it is for me. So let’s get down to business to defeat the Huns.

You may have heard of Meatless Mondays and I admire and envy those who are able to do that however, I cook for three other people on Mondays. Mom needs to avoid most veggie protein alternatives for her health, my sister would be perfectly content with just carbs but that’s boring, and my dad was a T-Rex in a previous life.

Mondays, usually, are long days working around the house doing manual labor with dad. Just because the sun goes down, doesn’t mean we can’t keep working. Just because the wind chill outside makes it feel like it’s 20 degrees out doesn’t mean we can’t paint, or move lumber, or clean up after various construction projects…I think you get the picture. Anyway, when mom comes home, she doesn’t really want to cook after the first day back to work for the week. (Sometimes, she ends up working with us on some project!) When things finally get wrapped up, dad used to say “where do you want to order dinner from?” BLAH! Take-out gets boring REALLY fast around here. Affordable options: pizza, burgers, or Chinese.

My solution: Crockpot Mondays! I get dinner into the slow cooker in the morning, set it on low, and work for the rest of the day. When we’re done working, dinner is ready too. It’s the perfect solution for us.

Unfortunately, I’ve made several really tasty crockpot meals lately and they all get consumed so quickly that I have no chance for a photo shoot. I promise to make them again so I can share the recipes properly with you. My favorites so far include: Chicken Cacciatore (of my own making) and a Chicken Tikka Masala I found on another blog.

But this week is about these Korean Style Short Ribs that I found on What’s Cookin’ Chicago?. She had adapted the recipe from another blog, Blisstree, and in good blogging fashion I continued the chain of adaptation by making some of my own changes. For the original recipes, click on the links for each blog.

1 cup soy sauce
1 cup un-packed dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons sesame oil [sesame oil is expensive. If you don’t want to use 4 tbsps, use 2 tbsp sesame oil and 2 tbsp light olive oil]
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 ½ tablespoons minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon ginger preserves
3 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 heaping teaspoon chili garlic paste
5 lbs beef short ribs, uncut whole ribs
1-2 stalks green onions, sliced thin for garnish
extra: toasted sesame seeds

____________________________

Approx. 1 ½ c. cooking liquid

2 tsp cornstarch

1 tbsp water

The items in italics are the changes that I made. Here’s why:

-we have an opened bag of dark brown sugar that is going to turn into a rock if we don’t use it! Use whatever you have on hand. The only difference between dark brown sugar and light brown sugar is the amount of molasses that has been mixed into it.

-I only had a small 2 inch nub of fresh ginger left. Originally, 4 tablespoons of fresh minced ginger was called for. That’s a lot of ginger! Luckily, we had ginger preserves on hand. Since they’re jellied, I didn’t pack the brown sugar because it would have been really really sweet with the added sugar from the preserves.

-I used bottled minced garlic to save on prep time. I love to use fresh whenever possible but when I’m cooking in the crockpot, the freshness of the garlic isn’t going to matter because it cooks for so long. Take a little help from the grocery store every now and then.

-Instead of crushed red pepper flakes, I used chili garlic paste. We’re making Korean Style Short Ribs, why not use an Asian source of heat? Plus I just really love this stuff. If you think that it will be too hot with the amount I used, cut it down to your heat level or use crush red pepper flakes instead.

-I reserved some cooking liquid; discarded the fat and simmered the juice in a separate sauce pan with 2 teaspoons of cornstarch dissolved in about a tablespoon of room temp water to create a sauce. The recipe from Blisstree called for making a sauce as well and I thought this was a good idea.

Instructions:

1.  Get your magical crock pot out.
2. Mix ingredients (soy sauce through chili garlic paste) in a medium bowl.
3. Separate the short ribs if yours are in big hunks. There should be one bone per piece.
4. Settle the short ribs into the crock pot.
5. Pour the wet mixture over the ribs.
6. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
7. During the last hour, take about 1 ½ c. of the cooking liquid and allow fat and juice to separate. Discard the fat and pour juice into a small sauce pan over medium-low heat. Combine cornstarch and water and whisk until smooth. Add cornstarch mixture to pan while whisking the contents. Cook for another minute or until thick. (This happens quick). Remove from heat but keep warm until you are ready to serve.

We made jasmine rice in the rice cooker (another magical cooking device) to go with the short ribs. Serve short ribs with rice, sauce, a drizzle of sriracha (if you’re like me), a smattering of toasted sesame seeds and a sprinkling of scallions.

These short ribs are so fork tender with a nice umami component from the soy sauce blending with the sweetness of the brown sugar. I think the kick from the sriracha is that little extra somethin’ somethin’ that would make Professor Slughorn invite me to join the Slug Club…I just crossed the line of geekdom. Never talk about the Slug Club when you’re writing about food. 

Chicken Tacos with Mango-Avocado Salsa

First snowfall of the season yesterday! Naturally, you would think I’d post about something hearty and comforting but I did that for my last two posts. It’s time for something lighter. Something that will help you get through the coming winter storms without despairing of little sunlight, short cold days, and long bitter nights: imagining the tropical climes you could be in.

I made this with my sister in mind while our parents were away. She picked so much while waiting for me to come home to make dinner that she almost didn’t eat these chicken tacos with mango salsa courtesy of Cooking Light! Lucky for me, one of my best friends joined us for dinner so I didn’t eat alone.

We picked up a bottle of moscato, if you like drier white wines I suggest a pinot grigio. This recipe is easy to whip together, even while enjoying a glass or two ;) My favorite part about it is the mango salsa which you could put together very easily if you can find prechopped or peeled mango in the produce section. Usually the mango spears I find in the produce section that are prepped ahead of time were peeled before they were ripe. It’s pretty disappointing but your grocery store might be better than mine!

You could also make the salsa for an appetizer some night with friends and drinks. Serve with tortilla chips and you’ll be all set! The sweetness of the mango is countered by the acid of the lime juice, some jalapeno kick, and the creaminess of avocado chunks. The freshness is positively delightful. In fact, any time you can, make your own salsa. It will beat jarred salsa 9 out of 10 times. (And I only say 9/10 for those nights where you’re craving your favorite jarred salsa).

Some tips for your taco shells:

·         Never used corn tortillas before?

o   Toasting them up is a snap if you’ve got a gas stove. Just turn a burner on and use a pair of tongs to settle the tortilla on top of the burner. Keep an eye on it and toast it to your liking. Be very careful, they can burn easily or even catch on fire.

o   Don’t have a gas stove? You have other options: toaster ovens and traditional ovens can also be used to toast your tortillas. Just keep in mind that you’ll have to watch them. If you toast them to the point where they are no longer supple enough to curl into a shell, you’ll end up making tostadas and not tacos. (They’re delicious but not easy to eat).

·         If you prefer soft tacos, substitute flour tortillas for the corn tortillas. Corn tortillas are meant to be heated, toasted, or fried; they aren’t very tasty raw.

·         Want a crunchy taco? Pick up your favorite crunchy tacos shells for a fast fix!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

I made an absolute mess in the kitchen but this recipe was worth it. :) Like so many others, I have an unhealthy obsession with Pinterest and I stumbled across a recipe for Pasta Cordon Bleu pinned from Amy’s New Kitchen who found it here. Initially I just pinned it and saved it for later then while printing recipes I wanted to try out, I read what Amy wrote in her blog. She had expressed some disappointment with a lack of flavor but then added later that the leftovers were better than fresh from the oven. Still, I was a little turned off by the thought and decided to take a whack at the concept by creating my own recipe.

Chicken Cordon Bleu is one of my favorite dishes but my sister for some inexplicable reason has a problem with any recipe where the meat is stuffed like chicken cordon bleu or braciole. It’s frustrating because I love those kinds of dishes. Unless it’s a burrito or pasta, she won’t have anything to do with stuffed goodies. She loves pasta and carbs though!

Last time I posted, I shared the Cooking Light recipe for the Pancetta, Spinach and Penne Casserole. Please forgive me for posting this one right after it, your waistline might hate me a little. But I decided to take the method from that dish and change the flavors to create this Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta.

I was so excited to make this I didn’t spend as much time sous chef-ing for myself in preparation. There were so many dishes everywhere! 

Seriously, once the sauce came together and I tasted it, I was doing a little dance of glee because it tasted just like chicken cordon bleu! Oh my goodness graciousness! So so so good. Once it came out of the oven I tried to wait ten minutes, I think I got to five before digging in. And I practically inhaled it then tried to resist seconds…sort of failed. I stuck my fork into the casserole dish for a couple more bites.

1 lb tube or short pasta, cooked

1 c. cooked chicken breasts, chopped

8 oz combo of ham, pancetta, and prosciutto

¾ c. onion, chopped

2 tsp garlic, minced

1/3 c. all-purpose flour

3 ¾ c. 2% milk

¼ Half and Half

Pinch of nutmeg

Pinch of cayenne

1 tsp fresh thyme

1 ¼ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

½ c. Swiss, shredded

½ c. Gruyere, shredded

¼ c. butter, melted

1 c. panko

Cook your pasta and set it aside but don’t let it cool down too much. Cook your chicken, chop and set aside.

Heat a large nonstick skillet (with high sides if you have one) over medium-high heat. Add pancetta, ham, prosciutto, onion, and garlic. Sprinkle with just a touch of salt. Sauté for 5 minutes or until onion is tender.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, level with a knife then pour into a small bowl. Gradually add ¾ c. milk, stirring until smooth. Add flour mixture, the rest of the milk, the half and half, nutmeg, cayenne, thyme, ground black pepper, and chicken to the pan.

Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in cheese until it melts.

Combine pasta and sauce, stir until well coated then pour into a casserole dish. (If you used a skillet with high sides, you should be able to pour your pasta directly into the pan with the sauce.)

Toss the panko with the melted butter then sprinkle over the top of the pasta. Bake for 6 minutes or until panko is browned and crisp.

I suggest letting it sit for 10 minutes after taking out of the oven. Ok, five, if you can’t wait that long.

Every bite of this was so tasty, I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am that this worked.

Looking for the recipes I drew from to create this one?

Pasta Cordon Bleu from Amy's New Kitchen

Penne with Pancetta, Spinach, and Buttery Crumb Topping from Cooking Light

Chicken Cordon Bleu from Tyler Florence

Classic Mornay Sauce from Emeril Lagasse

Pancetta Spinach and Penne Casserole

It’s dark, rainy, and cold. I feel like I have stumbled into something Edgar Allan Poe wrote. Something awful is about to happen. Good thing there’s something called comfort food for days (or weeks) like this. My favorite part besides the taste? It’s another Cooking Light recipe!

For lack of a better name, they call it Penne with Pancetta,Spinach, and Buttery Crumb Topping. It’s a creamy, gooey, cheesy, yummy, salty, carb fest with some spinach that you can sneak in to get kids to eat something green without complaints. And since my legal adult sister can still be a picky eater unless her boyfriend makes it, I made this with her in mind while our parents were on vacation.

Some differences:

I thought we had a box of penne at home when I went grocery shopping. I was wrong. We had cavatappi instead! I thought, “hey! That would be fun!” but then when I started to get things ready to make it, I realized that the store brand box of pasta only has 12oz in it. The recipe calls for a pound. I was down 4oz. Ended up back at the store anyway to buy more cavatappi and to buy a fresh baguette.

We have made this a number of times because everyone loves it but we all want more pancetta. I doubled the amount of pancetta the recipe calls for. Can’t find pancetta? Feel free to use ham! We made this dish after Easter once and used the leftover spiral ham to add some extra meat.

Some tips:

Do as much of the prep work you can ahead of time. This recipe makes a lot of dishes and has a number of steps.

You can buy pre-chopped ingredients but doing it yourself is better for your budget and for your palate. Pre-chopped ingredients do not last very long in your refrigerator because you can’t be entirely sure how long they’ve been sitting in the fridge at the store.

I’m only working part time and I’ll be starting grad school in a few months so I have a lot of time at the house these days to do more cooking. This means that I had time during the day to chop my spinach, onions, and garlic, to grate the cheese, and to make the fresh breadcrumbs. Doing all of that before dinner time meant that I cut down on some of the dishes. There are sooooo many dirty dishes when this recipe is done.

Last tip – time your pan cooking around your pasta. I didn’t start my onions, pancetta, and garlic sauté until the pasta had about 5 minutes left on the timer. One timer means less stress in my book!

The only problem with this recipe? It’s addictive! You’ll want seconds or thirds and it will be so hard to resist.

Make it on a day as dreary as this one and you’ll be sure to banish that Raven tapping at your chamber door.

The last delicious bite.

Apple Cranberry Crumble

When cranberries and oranges get together they turn into college freshmen at their first frat party. It’s true! They party like its 1999. Not sure what that’s like actually since I was 8 or 9 in 1999. Anyway, fresh orange juice gets to play with cranberries AND apples in this Cranberry Apple Crumble from Cooking Light: my favorite magazine to get recipes from. I don’t feel as guilty reaching for seconds…

We went apple picking as soon as the Macintosh trees were open for business at the orchard up the street from my house. Mom made apple pie and it was devoured within a couple of days. But since we got a peck’s worth, we still had plenty of apples and a small amount of fresh cranberries that needed to be used – fast!

I didn’t have enough fresh cranberries so I supplemented with Craisins…yum.

This recipe has a nice balance of sweet and tart when you use all fresh cranberries but I’ve always wondered how it would taste with Craisins. I’m more partial to sweet than tart. The Craisins made a big sweet difference! However, I’m glad I didn’t use only Craisins because the fresh cranberries balance out the extra sweetness.

*Note: I squeezed my own orange juice and I think it makes a HUGE difference from buying bottled juice. Please don’t buy your orange juice bottled. Your tastebuds will thank you.