This once proletarian economy cut has gone upscale
By: Faith Bahadurian
If you eat beef and like to dine out, I predict a dinner of short ribs for you this fall. This once proletarian economy cut has gone upscale, just like beef cheeks and skirt steak. Braised short ribs, on or off the bone, are currently sitting pretty on the menus of several local eateries.
The Ferry House in Princeton uses barbecued short ribs in both an appetizer and an entrée. As an appetizer it is served with pan-seared sea scallops, herb butter and garlic jus. In the entrée, the ribs accompany grilled fillet of beef and wild mushroom salsa.
At Chambers Walk Café in Lawrenceville, the new fall menu features veal short ribs over apple fennel cabbage with a Riesling demi-glace.
Jim Weaver, chef/co-owner of Tre Piani in Forrestal Village, has a long history of favoring the flavorful cut. I took a cooking class with him years ago in which he prepared short ribs in a sauce that held a touch of sweetness from dates and coriander. His spring menu offered short rib cannelloni with wild mushroom ragout, and this fall he expects to offer short ribs in various preparations as an occasional special.
Aaron Philipson of Hopewell’s Blue Bottle Café has had short ribs on the menu more than once since he opened last spring. He opened with tomato and chipotle glazed short ribs, and currently offers slow-braised short ribs shredded into a ragu sauce served with wide noodles from Lucy’s Ravioli Kitchen. At the recent Epicurean Palette fundraiser for Grounds For Sculpture, he served tamarind-braised short ribs with preserved lemon couscous.
As a basic procedure for braising, just brown the ribs in oil, add desired seasonings and liquid to cover about halfway up, and cook for a couple of hours, covered, on the stove or in the oven. If you have a crock pot, you can even steal away for a few hours. The two recipes below take a slightly different tack, one by roasting and one by grilling.
One reason for the cut’s popularity is that it takes so well to a variety of global flavors. You can cook them with red wine, tomato and herbs, or wine, stock and mushrooms. You could go the soy, hoisin, ginger, and five-spice Asian route. Or tour the southern Mediterranean as Jim Weaver did with dates and coriander, or meander the spice route from Asia to the Middle East as Aaron Philipson did.
ROASTED SHORT RIBS
WITH GLAZED GARLIC, FENNEL AND CARROTS
adapted from "Roasting,"
Barbara Kafka, William Morrow, 1995
Serves 4 to 6.
About 5½ pounds short ribs, trimmed of fat
¼ cup stock, water or wine, for deglazing
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1 large yellow onion (12 ounces), peeled and chopped in ¼ -inch dice (2 cups)
40 whole cloves garlic, peeled (about 1 cup)
2 large fennel bulbs (14 ounces each), trimmed, stalks removed, and cut lengthwise into 8 or 9 wedges
8 carrots, trimmed, peeled and cut in 2-inch lengths
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 to 6 boiled potatoes, to serve on the side
Place oven rack on center level. Heat oven to 500 degrees.
Arrange ribs in a 14 x 12 x 2-inch roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, turn ribs, and roast 25 minutes more. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Using a slotted spoon, transfer ribs to a large platter. Pour or spoon off excess fat. Put pan on top of stove. Add the stock or other liquid and bring contents to a boil while scraping the bottom vigorously with a wooden spoon. Add caraway seeds to liquid. Reserve.
Arrange half the onion, the garlic, fennel and carrots in a 5-quart casserole. Add half the salt and pepper to taste. Arrange ribs in a single layer in casserole. Layer the remaining onion, garlic, fennel, and carrots over and around the ribs. Sprinkle with remaining salt and more pepper to taste. Pour deglazing liquid over all. Cover tightly with foil and a lid if you have one. Cook 3 hours.
About 35 minutes before you are ready to eat, boil a pot of water and cook the potatoes for about 25 minutes or until tender.
KOREAN-STYLE SHORT RIBS
from "Martin Yan’s Feast,"
Martin Yan, Bay Books, 1998
4 servings.
(Korean-style ribs are like flanken ribs ribs that have been sawed across the bone to make -inch-thick strips about 2 inches wide and 6 inches long. Go to an Asian market or ask your butcher for them.)
Marinade:
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
½ cup chicken broth
1/3 cup soy sauce
¼ cup Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
2½ tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
2 pounds Korean-style beef short ribs
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in water
Prepare marinade. Place sesame seeds in a small frying pan over medium heat. Cook, shaking pan frequently, until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Immediately remove seeds from pan to cool. Grind seeds in a spice grinder. Place in a large bowl with remaining marinade ingredients. Add ribs; turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
Drain meat, reserving marinade in a small saucepan. Place ribs on an oiled grill 3 or 4 inches above heat source. Cook, turning once, until done to your liking, about 3 minutes per side for medium rare.
While meat is cooking, simmer marinade for 3 minutes. Add cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until sauce bubbles and thickens slightly. Serve ribs with sauce on the side.