Original French Onion Soup

The title may be a bit of an oxymoron, but it refers to the fact that I completely winged this dish.  It turned out to be a thoroughly plausible rendition.  I used the beef fat and braising vegetables from the beef ribs I made the other night.

3 large yellow onions
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon beef fat
Vegetables from braised beef ribs
1 quart beef stock
8 ounces pumpkin ale
Red wine vinegar
Salt

Peel and cut the onions in to strips.  Melt the beef fat and butter in a pot large enough to hold at least a quart.  Saute the onions over medium heat until they are thoroughly caramelized.  They will turn brown but be careful not to let the butter burn.  Add the stock and beer and bring to a boil.  Wrap the vegetables in cheesecloth and tie up with kitchen string.  Add to the pot.  Reduce heat and simmer the soup for at 40 minutes.  Season with salt and vinegar to taste.  To serve, ladle into bowls and cover with crisped baguette slices and grated gruyere cheese.

Braised Beef Short Ribs with Maple-Ginger Glaze

This weekend we served this delicious variation on a recipe from Molly Stevens' All About Braising.

6 English-style beef short ribs
2 medium yellow onions
1 large carrot
4 cloves garlic
1 3-inch piece of ginger root
1 bottle pumpkin ale
2 cups beef stock
6 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt
Pepper

Trim any excess fat off the beef ribs.  Chop the onions, carrot, garlic and 2/3 of the ginger into small pieces.  Add them to the beer.  Mix in the pepper flakes and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup.  Pour the mixture over the ribs and marinate for a minimum of 12 hours.  Turn the ribs at regular intervals in order to ensure they marinate evenly.

When the marinade is done, preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Dry the ribs with paper towels and season them liberally all over with salt and pepper.  Strain out the onions, carrot, garlic and ginger from the marinade and set aside.  Heat the oil in the braising pot and brown the ribs on all sides.  Remove the ribs and pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat and oil.  Saute the carrot, onion, garlic, and ginger until the onions are translucent.  Pour in the marinade liquid and de-glaze the pot.  Add the stock and bring to a boil.  Add the ribs and situate them so that they are partially submerged.  Cover the pot and place it in the oven to braise for 2 1/2 hours or until the ribs are fork-tender.  Turn the ribs every 45 minutes to ensure even cooking.  When the braise is complete, remove the ribs and allow them to cool.  Skim the fat off the braising liquid and set aside.  Strain the braising liquid to remove the solids.  Reduce the braising liquid to about a cup, tasting it to ensure that it does not become too salty.

At least an hour before serving, cut the remaining ginger into small pieces and add to the remaining maple syrup in a small saucepan.  Bring the maple syrup to a boil and then remove from the heat.  Let the ginger steep until ready to serve.

Before serving, strain the ginger out of the maple syrup and brush onto the ribs.  Place the ribs in the broiler for 5 - 10 minutes, or until they begin to sizzle.  Be sure not to let them scorch.  Reheat the braising liquid reduction for a few minutes on the stove.  Serve the ribs over mashed potatoes, pouring the sauce around them so as not to wash off the glaze.

Bok Choy and Fried Tofu

I was just banging out dinner one night this week and it turned out to be absolutely delicious.  Unfortunately my expectations were so low I never snapped a picture.  Trust me when I say it looked lovely...

• 2 packages extra firm tofu, drained and pressed, and cut into small cubes
• 1 large head bok choy, chopped
• 4 bunches scallions chopped in ~ 1 in. pieces
• 3 Tbsp minced ginger
• 3 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp garlic chili sauce
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• Pinch of shredded kaffir lime
• 3 Tbsp sesame oil plus 1/3 cup vegetable oil for frying

Fry the tofu in the oil mixture until all pieces are slightly shrunken and golden brown all over (about 10 min).  Pour the hot oil through a sieve into a pot or pyrex and let the tofu drain thoroughly.  Pour a few tablespoons of the oil back into the wok and add the garlic, ginger and bok choy.  Saute until the bok choy leaves shrink.  Add the tofu, liquid ingredients plus the sugar and kaffir lime.  After thorough mixing sprinkle the scallions over the top and let them steam while the dish simmers for about 8-10 min.  Serve over brown rice.

Spicy Beef Broth Soup with Edamame and Rice Noodles

Just improvised this for my afternoon lunch, and it turned out to be so delicious I just had to share!  This recipe came about because I was trying to think of a use for the 1/4 cup of braising liquid plus beef tallow I had left over from a recent pot roast.  The simplicity of the dish belies the rich flavor it held.  I suspect that its depth of flavor derives from the use of the tallow and braising liquid.  However, since there were no particularly discernible flavors from the original roast, I suspect that any sort of leftover fat and/or enriched liquid will work.

• 2 1/2 oz. rice noodles
• 1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame
• Half a medium onion, finely diced
• 1 Tbsp tallow
• 1/4 cup beef braising liquid
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 tsp beef bouillon paste
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp chili sauce
• 1 tsp brown rice vinegar
• 1 tsp rice wine

Sauté the onion in the tallow.  When the onion is translucent, add the braising liquid and water and bring to a boil.  Dissolve the bouillon paste in the boiling liquid.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the oyster sauce, chili sauce, rice vinegar and rice wine.  Taste the mixture to make sure it is properly balanced.  It's ok if it's on the salty side, because the edamame and rice noodles will cut the saltiness.  Add the frozen edamame and let the liquid return to a simmer.  Add the rice noodles and continue simmering until they just cooked through.

Novel Chicken

We came up with a novel, simple way to prepare some delicious chicken legs tonight.  The key to making this spontaneous recipe work seems to have been using the lemon slices to cover the chicken while it baked, then removing the slices and broiling the chicken to crisp the skin.  We served the chicken with beets in broth and perfect seasoned rice for a delicious dinner.

Ingredients

• 2 whole chicken legs
• 1 lemon
• 2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 2 Tbsp minced parsley
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 Tbsp salt (for brine)
• 1 tsp salt (for paste)
• 1/4 tsp pepper

30 to 60 minutes prior to baking, dissolve 3 Tbsp salt in about 6 cups of cold water.  Submerge the chicken legs in the brine and refrigerate while prepping the other ingredients.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together the thyme, parsley, salt, pepper, and olive oil to form a thick paste.  After at least 30 minutes, remove the legs from the brine and pat dry with paper towels.  Trim any excess skin and/or fat.  Coat the legs thoroughly with the seasoning paste and place in a baking dish.  Cut the lemon into slices no more than 1/4 inch thick.  You need enough lemon slices to more or less cover the chicken legs.  After placing the slices on the legs, bake the chicken for about 50 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees.  Remove slices from the chicken and place the uncovered chicken in the broiler for about five minutes or until the skin is crisped.

Beets in Broth

For some delicious beets, here is a surefire and mindlessly simple recipe.  Peel and cut the beets into smallish pieces.  Peel and crush a few cloves of garlic.  Bring enough chicken or vegetable broth to cover the beets to a boil.  Add the beets and garlic and reduce to a simmer.  Continue cooking until the beets are tender.  Slice a ripe avocado and serve over the warm beets.

Perfect Seasoned Rice

N made this rice tonight, and it was absolutely perfect.  It didn't clump at all and complemented the protein and vegetables excellently, yet was delicious enough to eat on its own.

Ingredients

• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1 small onion
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 - 2 Tbsp minced parsley
• Salt and pepper

Measure the rice into a bowl and cover in two inches of water.  Mix and squeeze the rice by hand to remove the starch.  When the water appears cloudy drain it away.  Repeat until the water drains clear (4 - 5 times) and then drain completely through a sieve and spread out to dry.  In the meantime finely chop the onion.  In one pot, boil the water with salt and pepper.  In another, sauté the onions in the butter until soft.  Then add the rice and continue the sauté until the edges of the rice become translucent (2 - 3 min).  Pour in the boiling water, then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer covered for about ten minutes or until the rice is soft.  Season w/ fresh parsley and let sit covered (up to 10 min) until served.