Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Springtime in the Rockies




The Ponderosa, Parker, Colorado; Tuesday April 9, 2013. Snowing, 15 degrees, windchill -9. Old man winter is not ready to release his grip just yet.....

I don't feel like working I feel like cooking. It's the time of year when we think of fresh baby peas, tender asparagus, spring lamb and all things light and lovely. But this weather conjures up visions of thick stews and hearty slow braises, paired with creamy polenta, buttery mashed potatoes, and roasted veggies. Yeah baby! One more time before the Dutch oven is banished to the deep recesses of the cupboard to gather dust and await the next fall season.

Comfort food. Slice, dice, chop,brown, braise, simmer, a big pot of something rich that will make the  house smell warm, cozy and safe from the blasting storm outside. Build what will probably be the last fire of the season, open a bottle of red wine, put on some slow music and see what happens. Bossy Chef you're in for it tonight.

A dish I love to make and love even more to eat, braised short ribs, utilizes one of the toughest cuts of meat. I wish I could say one of the 'cheaper' cuts but these flavor packed boney, treats are quite expensive considering the meat to bone ratio and how tough they are unless braised for a long time. You'll find braised short ribs to be a staple on many fine dining menus, an extremely popular dish that people love but usually don't have the time to prepare at home. I made braised short ribs a few weeks ago with some gorgeous ribs from Whole Foods. We shop selectively at Whole Foods as it is much too expensive for everyday shopping. But there are certain items that are by far better quality than you'll find in the mainstream grocery stores. The short ribs I bought were large, meaty and beautiful. If Whole Foods is not your thing, there are several fabulous independently owned meat markets in the metro area. When I lived in Capitol Hill many years ago, I shopped at Olivers on 6th Ave. They've been purveyors of quality meats for over 88 years in Colorado. As fine a butcher shop as you'll find anywhere.  I've bought short ribs from Safeway and King Soopers and was terribly disappointed as they were mostly fat and bone, very little meat. Make the little extra investment and buy your short ribs from a good meat market, you won't regret it.



When I returned home with my the ribs I scoured hubby's vast collection of cookbooks for a recipe and decided upon one from Suzanne Goin and her book 'Sunday Suppers at Lucques'. Ms. Goin cooked at some of the best restaurants in the world, L'Arpege, Olive, and Chez Panisse, to name a few. Her Los Angeles restaurant, Lucques opened in 1998 has garnered extraordinary accolades and is recognized as one of the country's best restaurants.

In her introduction to the recipe she writes, " Every chef has a love-hate dish, the dish that made it into the  first review, the one that customers call ahead for, the dish, therefore, the chef will never be able to take off the menu. Short ribs are mine. I used to be tortured by them, but I've come to accept them as a permanent member of the Lucques family. The short-rib saga began one cool and rainy weekend when, inspired by the weather, I made them for a Sunday supper. The response was so overwhelming that I added them to our daily menu. When spring arrived and the city began to warm up, I replaced the short ribs with something lighter. That week, I went out to the dinig room to say hello to a friend and was assaulted by diners at three different tables, who waved me over to find out (you guessed it) where the short ribs had gone. At first I was stubborn and refused to serve them in 90-degree weather. But I had a change of heart when I realized how much people loved them and how easily I could satisy their craving. The short ribs went back on the menu and will probably remain there for all eternity".


I made Suzanne's short ribs and can truthfully say that they will probably be the only braised short rib I will ever make. They are that good! Click on the link for a downloadable pdf of her outstanding ' Braised beef short ribs with swiss chard, and horseradish cream'.


I'm hoping this will be our last big snow storm of the season, but I'm not holding my breath. Below is a picture of a storm we had on May 12, 2011. I think I'll leave the dutch oven out a while longer.....


 And as always, if I can answer your questions or help you with any real estate needs I hope you will give me a call, I would love to hear from you. Thanks for reading and Happy Eating!

Becky
720-979-3184

Real Estate





















No comments:

Post a Comment