first things first - short ribs 2.0 part II.
now, you'll remember i braised the short ribs the day before the mini-dinner party for about 2 1/2 hours or so. i took them out of the oven and let them cool before covering them with foil and putting 'em in the fridge overnight.
this is what they looked like the next day.
i skimmed the fat off and cooked them over low heat on my stove top until about 15 minutes before serving them.
in 2.0 - part I i mentioned the pumpkin puree. i decided a pumpkin roll was way too time consuming and way too fattening and a nice soup would be a much better way to use the puree.
in the fall when szalay's was kickin' i picked up some baking pumpkins and roasted them and then put 'em in the food processor to make puree. i froze it in 2 cup increments and they have just been hangin' out ever since.
first i melted a lil' butter and sauteed half of an onion. once they were soft but not brown i added some vegetable broth and brought it to a light simmer. then i got to use my handy, dandy, new immersion blender. (thanks barb!)
once the soup was nice and smooth i put it back on the stove over low heat and added the pumpkin puree, about 1/2 can of coconut milk, more veggie stock and some black pepper. curry would've been pretty kick ass here but i didn't have any. such is life.
right before serving i wanted to stir in some heavy cream to thicken it up and make it really smooth and creamy. but i didn't have any heavy cream and i didn't feel like spending any money so i checked out some substitutes. bless the internets. the substitute of milk and melted butter actually worked pretty well.
here's everything going at once.
i transferred all of the ribs to the dutch oven and strained the sauce from the cast iron skillet. i added the strained liquid back to the skillet and made some gravy.
i put a couple of tablespoons of flour and a lil' milk into a plastic container and shook it up. i added it to the skillet with a lil' beef stock and black pepper and whisked and whisked until it was nice and thick. mmmmmm.
i also grilled some asparagus but those weren't anything to write home about. another lesson learned.
ok. catch-up #1 is done and i need another beverage. this time i'll go with an old standard that just happened to be on sale at acme last week - dogfish head's 60 min IPA.
one of my very favorite friends to eat and drink wine with and discuss food and drink just recently denounced her vegetarianism. i honestly never thought i'd see the day but apparently her love of good food overpowered her veggie spirit. one bite of bacon at breakfast and she was full throttle. woohoo!!
to celebrate her new label-ess eating habits and the sweet bouchon cookbook j. got her for christmas she decided to roast a whole chicken a la thomas keller.
i was so super thrilled to be invited. it was an amazing experience and for her first roasted chicken - pretty damn delicious!!
i was so proud!!
after letting it rest for a while she rubbed that baby down with a stick of butter. now THAT is what i'm talking about. full throttle!
after all this delicious reminiscing the dinner i ate before beginning this post seems a little lackluster.
a pseudo tuna melt, rosalie's leftover cucumber dip and some fresh cauliflower.
still tasty though and i am excited about the ground pork and beef and fresh parsley in my fridge that tomorrow will become what i hope is some delightful meatballs. a big heapin' plate of spaghetti and meatballs with some good toasted bread and a bottle of $3. red wine. mmmmm. perfect comfort food for the arctic zone.
1 comment:
old news, but good news. that post just made my breakfast of yogurt seem inadequate. Yum.
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