You may have noticed that we’ve been on a bit of a braising kick lately. For the past several weekends, our cooking has consisted of numerous variations on slow cooked comfort food. I blame this on a combination of crappy weather and a bad case of Spring Fever. Symptoms include an urge to clean closets and frequent requests to “Go somewhere warm” or “Get me out of the house!” Unfortunately the only warm place I’ll be going anytime soon is under my thick comforter. When that is the case, cleaning out the freezer and cooking comfort food may be the best medicine!
Short ribs are always a treat and we had another batch in the freezer so this past weekend they made a repeat appearance. After really enjoying the Short Ribs Braised in Porter Ale with a Maple Rosemary Glaze, Mr. B requested a different approach for this batch- something involving coffee. I browsed around and found a great recipe from Mark Bittman of the New York Times for Short Ribs Braised in Coffee and Chilies. Mark’s self-appointed nickname “The Minimalist” held true in this recipe, which only relies on a few quality ingredients to make the short ribs shine. (Did you know that he was once a cab driver and a traveling salesman? Fascinating.) The smoky flavor of the chilies melded beautifully with a dark roast coffee and placed the focus of the dish straight on the deep beefy flavors of the short ribs.
The dish was very satisfying though a bit shy on sauce. To support the rich flavors we prepared a creamy polenta using Tenuta Castello artisanal polenta ordered from Cube Marketplace, a fantastic gourmet cafe in Los Angeles. Joy the Baker turned me on to the terrific polenta available at Cube in her post on vanilla brown sugar breakfast polenta. Mr. B saw the post and instantly said, “Let’s get some!” We ordered several bags of polenta and I promptly fell on the floor laughing my head off because the thought struck me, “Here I am in the middle of nowhere ordering artisanal polenta online. How silly is that? I am probably the ONLY person in this entire state to ever order artisanal polenta.” When the package arrived we did a side by side comparison with the brand I typically use to see if artisanal polenta was really worth the trouble of ordering online.
You can see in the picture above that the polenta on the left (Bob’s Mills Organic Polenta) is definitely not stone ground and has a large quantity of the exterior yellow corn kernel in the mix. The Tenuta Castello polenta has a more varied texture with red flecks indicating the use of local red corn varieties. Grown in Italy by a family that has been making polenta for over 100 years, the Tenuta Castello polenta really knocked my socks off. I made two batches of the Tenuta Castello. One batch was made with cream and butter, which was delicious of course. However what really impressed me was the second batch, made with nothing more than water and a little salt. It was equally as creamy and flavorful- in fact we even preferred it to the first!
The best way I can describe the difference between artisanal polenta and the other stuff is that regular polenta is similar to eating cream of wheat, with a uniformly smooth, warm and thick consistency. The Italian polenta was like eating a fine risotto, where a creamy background supports individual grains for a unique and marvelous texture. I think I’m hooked.
In my mind polenta is pretty much the perfect supporting character for a meal of short ribs. With our dinner, it backed up the beefy and spicy flavors while keeping the heat from the chilies under control. Along with a large batch of sauteed Swiss chard you will have a flavorful and comforting dinner, certain to cure even the worst case of Spring fever!
Short Ribs with Coffee and Chilies over Artisan Polenta
Recipe from The New York Times
Serves 4-8
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Oil
4 or 8 small short ribs
Salt and Pepper
1 Large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 dried pasilla chili, stemmed, seeded and minced
1 dried chipotle chili, stemmed, seeded and minced
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup strong coffee.
Directions:
In a heavy pot that can later be covered, drizzle oil. Over medium heat, brown ribs well, adjusting heat as necessary to get a dark crust. Take your time, and season with salt and pepper as they cook. Remove them to a plate and turn heat to low.
In same pot, cook onions, garlic and chilies, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft, about 15 minutes. Add wine and coffee and reduce over high heat by about half. Return ribs to pot, cover, and cook over low heat (or in a 300-degree oven) for 2 to 3 hours. Cook until very tender — beyond when meat falls off the bone — turning every hour or so. Taste and adjust seasoning and serve.
catherine @ www.unconfidentialcook.com said..
These look so good! We’re having guests for dinner on Friday night, and I was thinking flanken. Perfect! Thank you!
March 16, 2009 @ 4:59 pm