For the past few days we have had a stalled front in Paradise that has brought us torrential rain, very dark skies and cooler weather. We’ve experienced up to 8″ of rain in a day! When you live in Paradise, except for a week or two in January or February, it is always warm and sunny, and so you might ask yourself – do Paradisians really need to be served comfort food? Of course we do!
Tonight I am making short ribs and Doug can’t wait for dinner to be ready. I haven’t prepared short ribs since last winter but I will tonight as a celebration of a summer almost gone and a welcome for the fall, my very favorite time of year.
There are several levels of cooking main course comfort foods and many of them start from what is lovingly called “humble beginnings”. Mirepoix, Batuto, Sofrito, Suppengrun and Holy Trinty are a few. For me, and my affinity to french style cooking, mirepoix is the basis from which many things begin. Onions, carrots and celery sauteed in olive oil. Batuto is similar and the Italians sometimes add diced meat such as proscuitto. Sofrito is the Spanish take and includes onion, garlic and tomato. Suppengrun, from Germany, is carrot with celeriac and leak. And of course, the Holy Trinity – the Cajun style – is onion, celery and bell pepper.
Short ribs is a dish which includes thick beef ribs, mirepoix and liquid – usually stock and red wine with a bit of tomato paste and a small handful of brown sugar – cooked in a slow oven for about 3-4 hours. The result is an incredibly tender beef, delicious broth. It is usally served over or with potatoes of some kind, although I have had it served to me with polenta as the base. I see this as country cooking and definately comfort food, both for the diner and the cook. Easy to eat an easy to prepare.
I begin with mirepoix cooked in olive oil in a large, heavy pot. This pot will be put in the oven to cook at 300 degrees for several hours, so it has to be sturdy and easy to remove from the oven. The pot I use for this dish is All-clad. I love it because while I have used it for many, many years, it still shines every time I clean it – and I particularly like the shape – a low, large pot with a shiny, stainless steel lid. And most importantly, it cooks beautfully. Pots are just as important as a good oven – not necessarily expensive, just reliable. You can’t make a good meal without both and if you care dearly for them, both will last forever.
While I am cooking the mirepoix, I sear the salted and peppered ribs on a cookie sheet in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes then come out of the oven and wait for their turn to enter the pot.
After the mirepoix is ready, then comes the cooking liquid which, traditionally, is home-made beef stock and red wine. Today, I have not made beef stock from scratch and I usually do not. Reason being is that I cook so often with stock, whether it be vegetable, chicken, mushroom, or beef, I would end up making stock every day! After trying a few that are prepared, my favorite brand is Pacific low sodium which you can find in the “green” section of your market or at Whole Foods or Fresh Market. It is clearly the best tasting for me, and I like using the low sodium because I can always add salt if I would like and I like the cardboard package.
I altered the traditional recipe some time ago, and Doug loves my version. I use stout beer (such as Murphy’s) instead of red wine and it changes the whole taste and color of this dish. While I like the traditional recipe with red wine, I sometimes find it to be just a bit too rich. The stout really makes wonderful substitute because it is hearty but wih a very velvety taste. Add a little tomato paste and a bit of brown sugar to the mirepoix and liquid and then place the seared beef ribs on top, cover and put in a slow oven for a few hours. You can’t make a mistake with short ribs – whatever recipe you select or alter just remember to keep the preportions correct and you produce a great dis. The bonus is that there is really little cleanup when dinner is served.
Doug loves short ribs served over sour cream mashed potatoes, so that is what it will be tonight. I substitute sour cream for milk in the tradtional recipe.
As for the dark days and heavy rain in Paradise, we do not complain. We see water as precious, in whatever way it comes. Our grass is incredibly green and our growing season is at its peak. It is fun to use these wet days to prepare and enjoy comfort food.
Till next time,
E
Paradise Found 