I swing both ways in the kitchen. I like to make what I call my five-minute meals like this grilled salmon which makes  an ordinary day of the week seem celebratory because the food is so good. Then on other days, I like my food to linger for hours in a cast iron pot braising away, soaking up the nectar of red wine, the sultry flavors of onion, the earthiness from root vegetables and aromatic notes from herbs.

Five minute food fits my personality because I tend to move fast.  But, then this other side of me finds a dutch oven kind of sexy. The kitchen smells good. The flavors build one by one as they concentrate and linger, and  I can’t think of anything sexier at the moment than Thomas Keller’s short ribs, braised in wine, sitting on top of a mound of vegetables which are encased in a cheesecloth. Leave it to Mr. Keller to be so genteel with the meat to protect it from getting little pieces of carrot on it.

I found the recipe in Ad Hoc at Home, a book that has a permanent place in my  kitchen. It’s not the Thomas Keller of the French Laundry. Oh, it’s the same guy, but this is the food that is a lot less fuss, and a bit more realistic for the home cook.  I see a trend in the better restaurants serving this kind of food more and more. I recently dined at Watermark in Nashville during restaurant week and a very similar dish was on the menu as one of the main courses for the night.  While their dish was served over mashed potatoes with kale, I decided to serve mine over spinach mashed potatoes. I tucked raw baby spinach leaves inside of hot mashed potatoes ensuring a perfect flavor and texture. You could do more to the potatoes by adding in some garlic or freshly grated parmesan. I kept it simple with just a touch of nutmeg, because the wine sauce had three hours to reduce and its flavored more than carried the dish.

The recipe calls for one 2 1/2 pound of boneless  short rib, which is braised in one piece. I purchased boneless short ribs already cut, and you could go either way.  This recipes yields a lot of sauce. Unfortunately, I didn’t show a picture of it.

Spinach Mashed Potatoes

Using my basic mashed potatoes recipe, I added in handful of spinach per two potatoes. You can judge for yourself how much you would like to add in. Trim the stems of baby spinach leaves and add in raw, after the potatoes are mashed and are still hot.

Print

Beef Short Ribs Braised in Red Wine with Spinach Mashed Potatoes

Adapted from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home, this is an elegant, yet approachable way to prepare beef short ribs.

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 3 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• Ingredients for Red Wine Reduction
• 1 bottle dry red wine such as Cabernet Saugvignon
• I cup diced yellow onion
• 1 cup sliced peeled carrots
• 1 cup thinly sliced shallots
• 2 cup thinly sliced button mushrooms
• 3 thyme sprigs
• 6 flat leaf parsley sprigs
• cheesecloth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 3 large garlic cloves smashed, skin left on
• Ingredients for Braise
• wine reduction
• 2 1/2 pounds boneless chuck short rib
• sea salt freshly ground black pepper
• 1 garlic cloves smashed, skin left on
• 1 onion diced
• 1 cup carrots
• small handful of parsely
• 3 thyme sprigs
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 cups beef stock

Instructions

• Red Wine Reduction
• Combine all ingredients for red wine reduction in a heavy pot or dutch oven.
• Bring to a high heat, reduce and simmer for 50 minutes. If you are using a cast iron dutch oven, reduce to very low heat.
• Braise
• If using one large piece of meat, move any connective tissue where the bones were connected. Leave on fat and silver skin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Add oil to a large frying pan, and brown meat on all sides. Transfer to a plate.
• Heat oven to 350.
• Add the second set of onions, carrots, garlic, thyme and parsley to the wine reduction.
• Cut a piece of cheesecloth 4 inches larger than the diameter of pan. Moisten and place over the wine reduction and tuck underneath the vegetables. Place the meat on top, and cover with oven proof lid (or piece of parchment paper).
• Reduce heat to 325 and cook for 2 hours. Meat should be fork tender.
• Remove heat, transfer to a warming dish.
• Strain wine reduction. If there is a lot more liquid than necessary, heat on top of the stove until reduced further.
• To serve reheat, meat in oven with some of the juice. Serve on top of mashed potatoes with the red wine sauce.

Notes

The original recipe has more details in preparation. Original recipe calls for leeks, which I left out. You may choose not to strain wine reduction but to include those little bits of vegetables.

The post Beef Short Ribs Braised in Red Wine with Spinach Mashed Potatoes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Roast beef, mashed potatoes, a smattering a root vegetables. Sounds like something in an American diner right? But, if you think about it, the Italians and French (especially in the north) eat red meat, and they prepare roast beef just like we Americans do, except they tend to cook with wine from their areas. In this case, Marcella is taking her inspiration here from the Piedmont Region of Italy, Stracotto al Barolo.

I’ll admit that it is not difficult to make a pot roast, but this is a 10 in comfort food.

I am so passionate about inspiring people to cook in their own kitchens instead of eating at the hands of take-out and restaurants that a biggest part of my zest is finding dishes you and I can cook at home, yet feel we have been treated out.

I invited neighbors over to enjoy this dinner. Steve travels and eats extensively in nice restaurants. His comments were “this tasted like a great meal out in a nice restaurant.” As it should be, and this is what we can experience frequently if only we know how.

The how of home cooking is simplicity. Home recipes should be understated yet delicious enough that you will return to them again and again.

Marcella did not fail on this recipe. Of course, the base is always the same, the onion, celery, carrot, chopped very finely as they become a part of the sauce. Please take caution when using wine and oil, as I had a little in-pot fire with one of the roasts. I had put the lid on to let the alcohol burn down. Bad idea, as when I took the lid off, a big whoosh of flame erupted. Cast Iron Enamel pots are the best friends in my kitchen for numerous reasons, but they are not to be taken for granted.

Cooking with Cast Iron Enameled Pots and a Little Caution

• Of course always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Some of these will include:
• Do not rapidly alter temperature, taking a pot from cold to hot or hot to cold. They can crack.
• The pots heat up and RETAIN their heat, which is why they are called dutch ovens. They actually can get so hot, that when you open your oven, you will feel a big whoosh of heat. Always stand back.
• Do not use high heat. Even when a recipe calls for high heat, proceed with caution, using medium heat. Once on the stove, even the smallest flame can be enough to keep a continued simmer.
• Use Pot holders. This may seem like a given, but even the knobs of the lids will be very hot.

The pots you see above are a 7 quart and a 4 quart, which work perfectly for my needs. I am either cooking for two or for a crowd.

The Cooking Process
Start with good meat. I used two chuck roasts and cooked in two different enameled cast iron pans. During the last hour, I put the two together in one pot.

These are browned and ready to be braised in red wine to get that fork tender texture. I make my own beef broth and keep it frozen until I need it. You can use store bought, but get the best you can.

What to do with the Roast Beef Leftovers

You have to make this beef macaroni soup. It has kale, white beans, and meat broth to warm and fill you.

• Beef Macaroni Soup
• Homemade Beef Pie
• Roast Beef Hash

Major comfort food goodness all baked in a beef pie found at my favorite roast beef left over recipes.

Print

Pot Roast of Beef Braised in Red Wine, Mashed Potatoes

Delicious pot roast adapted by Essentials of Classical Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 4 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 4 pounds boneless beef roast preferably chuck
• 1 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons onion finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons celery finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups dry red wine see notes
• 1 cup or more of beef stock or 1/2 cup canned with 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped canned imported Italian plum tomatoes
• Pinch of dried thyme I used fresh
• 1 teaspoon fresh marjoram or 1/4 teaspoons dried
• salt
• black pepper freshly ground

Bolognese Style Mashed Potatoes

• Mashed Potatoes Bolognese Style
• Instructions
• 8 large red potatoes peeled, cut into large chunks (about 8 pieces per large potato)
• 4 -6 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup warmed milk you may not use it all
• sea salt
• white pepper
• 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup parmigiano-regianno
• nutmeg

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350
• I used a cast iron dutch oven for one pot cooking. If you don’t have a pot that goes into oven with a lid, you can cook this on top of the stove on a low simmer for 3-4 hours or (slow cooker) for several hours.
• Using an enameled-cast iron dutch oven or skillet, brown meat in olive oil on high on all sides. Set aside. If you using cast iron dutch oven, remove meat with tongs to another plate.
• Add butter and onions, until softened. Add in celery, carrots.
• Add in wine, cook off alcohol for about 5 minutes. Add broth, meat, tomatoes, thyme, marjoram, salt, pepper.
• Oven method: Make sure the liquid comes up about 3/4 of the way. Marcella suggests turning meat over every 20 minutes. I used cast iron pan that has a self basting lid and only turned the roast every 40 minutes. Roast in 350 degree oven to make sure the bottom doesn't burn.
• Stovetop Method: Keep lid on, cook on a simmer for 3-4 hours, turning several times.
• Slow Cooker: Completely submerge in liquid (adding more broth/water if necessary) and cook for several hours, 6-8.
• If roast is over 4 pounds, double all the ingredients, and be sure to use a pan that fits the roast. Too large of a pan will spread the liquid out to much.
• Wine Notes:

Wine Notes

• Barolo wine at my wine store starts at $46. Other suggestions included Barbaresco, Barbera, Syrah (from California or Australia) or Zinfandel. I chose Zinfandel for the cooking and drinking with this dish. Cabernet is good too.
• It is critical to use a decent wine in this dish. I made a six-pound roast and used the whole bottle, doubling all the ingredients. Use a freshly opened bottle; your dish will only be as good as the wine you use.

Bolognese Style Mashed Potatoes

• I made potatoes both with and without cheese and nutmeg and liked both versions for this roast.
• Prep potatoes, once meat is in oven. They can sit in a pan of cold water until ready to use.
• Once ready to boil, rinse again, start with fresh cold salted water.
• Mashed potatoes should be fluffy, not creamy, so as soon as potatoes are fork tender, drain and mash with fork or masher. Do not use an electric beater, as this changes the chemistry of the potatoes.
• To guarantee no lumps, use a ricer. Mash with butter. Slowly add warmed milk using just enough to make fluffy. Too much milk will yield gooey potatoes.
• Season with salt and pepper and parmesan cheese and a dash of nutmeg.

The post Pot Roast of Beef Braised in Red Wine, Mashed Potatoes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.