Zinfandel & Bloody Mary Braised Short Ribs w Bacon, Button Mushrooms, Shallots, Shredded Carrots, and Rosemary

(Copyright © 2010 Someday Gourmet)

Prep Time: 30 minutes (before goes into oven)
Cook Time: 3 hours total (2.5 hrs in oven, 30 minutes stove-top)
Difficulty: Level 2
Yield: 5-6 Ribs, 2-3 Cups Sauce

Ingredients

• 5-6 larger high quality beef ribs
• 2 ½ cups favorite bold red wine (we used Ravenswood Lodi Zinfandel)
• ½ cup Mr. & Mrs. T’s Bold & Spicy Bloody Mary Mix
• 1 cup Swanson low sodium chicken stock
• ½ package of bacon sliced into ½” pieces
• 1 med. package of white button mushrooms
• 1 cup loosely packed shredded carrots
• 8-12 pearl onions or 4-6 shallots
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 twigs of Rosemary or 2 tablespoons dried
• 3 tbsp coarse salt
• 3 tbsp coarse pepper
• 3 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1-2 tbsp red pepper flakes (to taste)
• 4 tbsp slurry (2 tbsp corn starch + 2 tbsp hot water) – prepare @ hr 2.5 of baking
• Dutch Oven

Directions

Remove meat from refrigerator and place on counter still wrapped to allow to warm to room temperature.

Preheat Dutch Oven to medium heat (6) and add bacon. Cook until brown and crispy. Remove and dry on paper towel lined plate. Drain bacon grease except for 3 tbsp and return to heat.

While bacon is cooking, clean and rough chop mushrooms then peel onions and cut in half (slice shallots if using). Combine Salt, Pepper, Smoked Paprika and Red Pepper Flakes in a small dish. Remove the ribs from the package and place on a cutting board bone side down. Remove any easily accessible pieces of fat and then rub in a heavy coat of the spice mix on all 5 non-bone sides of each rib. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty on this step, you really want to rub it in there.

Once the bacon is cooked and removed, add the ribs to the pan in 2 batches (3 at a time is usually right) bone-side up. Proceed to cook each of the 5 meaty sides for 4 minutes each until golden brown. Once placed, DO NOT MOVE THE RIB until time to turn; this will ensure a golden crust. After all the ribs have been completely browned, set aside. Do not drain!

Next add all veggies and garlic to the Dutch Oven and cook over medium heat until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Stir frequently.

Preheat oven to 300.

Add 2 cups of the wine, all the stock, Bloody Mary mix, and Rosemary and turn heat up to high and bring to boil stirring gently but frequently. Reduce sauce by 1/3 – 1/2. Add ribs and ensure fully covered by the liquid. Place a piece of aluminum foil over the Dutch Oven and then cover with the lid to securely seal the steam in.

Bake for 2.5 hours. Remove from oven and transfer the ribs and any bones that have fallen off to a serving dish. Cover with foil and set aside. Bring the remaining sauce over high to a boil and add the slurry and the rest of the wine. Reduce by 1/3 or so until just slightly thicker, pour over ribs, and serve immediate.

Chef’s Notes

• This sauce would taste good over anything! Consider using over oven-roasted chicken breasts (40 minutes @ 350) or even basted over a London Broil
• Embrace the Bloody Mary Mix. Nearly every recipe out there calls for tomatoes in some form or another for braising. In this case, we get our tomato base but even more layers of additional flavor that just melt nicely into the background of the wine.
• Good meat in, great meat out. Bad meat in, mediocre meat out. You get what you pay for on this meal and picking up high quality, low fat ribs from your butcher will go a long way. 

Spicy Shrimp and Bowties tossed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Basil, Roasted Pine Nuts & EVOO

(Copyright © 2010 Someday Gourmet)

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: Level 1
Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb box of Bowtie Pasta
• 1-1 1/2 lb Medium Raw Shrimp – Cleaned, shelled and beheaded
• 1 small jar of Sun-Dried Tomatoes in oil (or soak dried ones in oil for 15 minutes)
• 4oz (or so) of Pine Nuts
• 4 Tbsp Finely Chopped Basil
• 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
• 4 Tbsp EVOO (can use the oil from the tomatoes jar if there is enough)

Directions
Preheat oven to Broil (Hi) and bring a medium/large pot of water to a boil to cook the box of pasta.

Combine the EVOO and red pepper flakes and basil in a mixing bowl.  Add the sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, and shrimp and gently coat thoroughly with the oil mixture.  Spread the mixture out on foil lined baking sheet and make sure that the shrimp are flat and have some room around them.

Once the water begins to boil, add the pasta and put the baking sheet in the oven.

Broil 4" from the top coils for 4 minutes on one side and then flip the shrimp and broil for another 3-4 minutes on the other side.

Drain the pasta and add all of the contents of the foil into the pasta dish and gently toss.  Add another tbsp of EVOO if necessary.  Serve with shredded-style grated parmesan.

Chef’s Notes

• Easily sub in diced chicken or pork – same procedure.
• Shrimp can be fickle, keep a close eye on them as they cook
• Recommended Wine Pairing - Barefoot's Pinot Grigio or Lodi Zindfandel

Pork Scallopini with Mushrooms in a Sherry and Marsala Wine Reduction

Copyright © 2010 SomedayGourmet.com

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Level II
Yield: 4-6 Pieces of Pork

Ingredients

• 4-6 Thin cut pork chops (thinner the better)
• 1 1/2 Cup Sherry Cooking Wine
• 1/2 Cup Marsala Cooking Wine
• 2-3 Cups Canola or Vegetable Oil for Frying
• 1 Cup flour
  
• 1 Large Egg
• 1/4 Cup Milk (any variety is fine)
  
• 1/2 Cup Finely Diced Onion
  
• 2 Cups Sliced White Mushrooms
• 1/2 Tbsp minced Garlic
• 4 Tbsp Butter
• 1 Tbsp Seasoned Salt
• 1 Tbsp Grated Parmesan
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 Sets of tongs (recommended)
  

Instructions
Prepare vegetables if necessary.  Preheat the oven to its lowest setting for warming.

The Pork
Cut the pork into 3-4" squares or strips.  Place between layers of plastic wrap and pound each piece of pork until 1/4" thick.  If you think you're done pounding...make it just a little thinner!

Add 2-3 Cup of oil to a small-medium pan for frying and heat oil on medium-high (6 on my dial).  Let oil heat for at least 7-10 minutes before beginning to fry.

Next create 2 dipping stations: flour in one and an egg wash in the other (1 egg, 1/8 cup milk - whisk thoroughly). Using one set of tongs, dip the pork in egg wash, let the excess drip off and then lightly coat with flour.  Using the same tongs drop the pork into the heated oil.  Repeat process to queue up the next piece of pork in the flour dish.

Cook the pork for 3 minutes and using the 2nd set of tongs flip in the oil and cook for 1-2 additional minutes until golden brown.  Using the second set of tongs transfer the cooked pork onto an ovenproof plate or dish and cover with foil.

Repeat until each piece is cooked.  Place pork in the oven to keep warm once all pieces are done if more time is needed to make sauce.

Note: If using a larger dish (with more oil), it's ok to cook several pieces at once.  I prefer to use a smaller pan with less oil and fry each piece individually.

The Mushroom Sauce
Melt 2 Tbsp of butter in a medium pan over MEDIUM-HIGH heat and add the mushroom.  Saute for 5 minutes stirring frequently.  Add seasoned salt and continue to saute until browned and soft.  Remove mushrooms from pan and add garlic and onions (do not clean pan).  Continue to saute on medium-high until onions begin to turn translucent.

Add both cooking wines and turn heat up to HIGH.  Simmer the liquid on high stirring frequently until sauce reduces to 1/3 of the original (about 5 minutes).  Lower heat to MEDIUM and stir in mushrooms, 2 tbsp butter, red pepper flakes and remaining 1/8 cup of milk.  Heat for another 2-3 minutes until sauce thickens slightly and mushrooms are piping hot.

Pour over pork and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

Chef's Notes

• Be sure to use an oil with a high heat smoke point for the deep frying.  This will help prevent your home from smelling like burnt pork for the next few days.
• It is normal for the frying oil to begin to get cloudy after a few pieces of pork are cooked.  You might even smell a bit of burning.  That's ok!  The flavor from each piece of meat will compound making the last one the best one.
• Just make sure you have enough oil in there initially to cover the meat thoroughly and try not to add any additional once you've begun. Using the same oil for the entire job helps ensure an even temperature and will help produce consistent results.