I love the hearty and healing cuisine that goes with the season. From the warm spices that sooth my insides. To the hot soups and stews that take the chill away. Oh and there's nothing like, freshly harvested apples baked right into a pie! So in honor of this transitional weather, and in honor of Jeremiah (who adores slowly cooked meats). I decided to make a fall worthy meal to invite the season. To this, I give you...
Zinfandel braised short ribs with prune plums and black mission figs. I served it over a wild mushroom risotto, and sauteed kale.
Zinfandel braised shortribs
3 lbs short ribs
7 medium black mission figs
7 prune plums
1/2 medium onion
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of beef stock (either home made or store bought)
2 cups of a juicy red wine (I used a cheaper old vine zinfandel, but any juicy/jammy red wine will do.)
approx 1 cup flour
2 Tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup vegetable oil
salt/ pepper
To begin, I preheated the oven to 315 degrees. I then prepped the figs and plums. First by washing them under cool water and then removing any stems. To remove the pits out of the plums. I used the blade of my knife to lightly smash them, and then pulled the pit out. The pits in these plums are quite easily detached. Just be careful when using the knife to smash them!!!! When it came to the figs, I simply cut them in half lengthwise.
Next I prepped the aromatics. I thinly sliced the half onion and finely minced the garlic. I put that to the side with the figs and plums.
In a large sized, shallow bowl mix the flour and cornstarch. Season it with 1 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of ground pepper. Lightly coat each short rib in this mixture, patting off any excess. You don't want them to be them to be drenched in it.
Grab a large, medium depth, oven safe skillet. If you don't have an oven safe one, a regular one will do. I like cast iron because you can just pop it into the oven... Plus, it adds a nice seasoning to it. I used a medium depth cast iron skillet to heat 1/4 cup of vegetable oil over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, begin to add the short ribs. You don't want to over crowd the pan, so you will have to do this process in a few batches. Brown each side of each short rib. Taking them out, putting them to the side and adding more after each batch.
After all of the short ribs have been browned, drain the remaining oil in the pan. However, don't wash it!!!! You want to keep all of the good flavor at the bottom of the pan! Return the pan to the stove and add the onion and plums, season with a pinch of salt. Let them cook and brown for a minute or two. Then add the figs and garlic, again seasoning with a pinch of salt. Cook for a minute more, before adding the red wine of choice and the stock. Scrap up any bits on the bottom of the pan (flavor!). Add the short ribs back into the pan, pushing the figs and plums to the side and to top of the meat. If you used an oven-safe pan, cover it with foil and pop the pan into the oven. Be careful not to burn yourself! the pan will be hot! If a regular stove-top skillet was used, transfer the contents into an oven safe baking dish then cover with foil. Set the timer to 1 hour. When the hour has expired take the pan out of the oven. Take the foil off and flip the short ribs over. The side that was touching the pan should now be facing up. Cover the pan once again and return it to the oven for another hour.
While I was waiting for the short ribs to cook, I decided to make a few sides. After all, it wouldn't have been a well rounded meal without a starch and a more substantial vegetable. So I decided to make a mushroom risotto, and simple sauteed kale.
I absolutely love mushrooms. They have a beautiful earthiness and a nice meatiness. So I thought a risotto showcasing them, would stand up well to the short ribs. In which it did! This risotto was a plethora of all things delicious! It was creamy, cheesy, robust, salty, and sweet. I could eat it as a stand alone dish with a bit of truffle oil! MMMMMM In which, I think I will in the future. The recipe follows..
I added the bit of corn for some sweetness to tie into the fruit of the short ribs. It was a wonderful discovery. I gives little sweet pops throughout each bite. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Mushroom risotto
1/2 medium onion (finely diced)
1 ear of corn (cut off the cob)
1 clove of garlic (minced)
1 1/2 cups of arborio rice
1 oz package of dried wild mushrooms
6 cups of beef stock
1 Tbsp of light cream
2 Tbsp of salted butter
1 cup of grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
salt/ pepper
Start by heating the stock in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat. When the stock is steaming (not boiling), readjust the heat to low. Take the pack of mushrooms and roughly chop the contents. Reconstitute them by adding them into the pan of stock and then cover with a lid.
While the mushrooms are doing their thing. Put a medium/large sized skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp of butter. Let it melt, then add the onion, garlic, and corn. Season with salt and pepper, and saute until tender and slightly brown (about 3-4 minutes). Lower the heat of the skillet to a low-medium heat. Add the raw arborio to the pan. Mix it around a bit and then start adding the stock with the mushrooms.
Add one ladle at a time (approx 1 cup) constantly stirring after each addition, letting the rice absorb the stock before adding another ladle. Repeat this process until all of the stock has gone (make sure you get all of the mushrooms in too!!!) Turn the heat off. Then mix in the remaining butter, cream, and cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
As for the kale. I personally don't take out the ribs, because I like the crunch that they give. I do however make sure that they are cooked enough to be tender. Otherwise, they tend to be quite woody.
I took half of the bunch of kale and sliced 1/2 strips width-wise. However, I did stop at the bottom of the leaves and discarded the rest of the stems. To wash, take a large bowl and submerged the kale into water. Mix it around a bit and then let it sit for a few minutes. Any debris or sand will sink to the bottom. Take kale out, while squeezing out any excess water, and put to the side. Next, take a medium/large sized skillet and heat 2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and then kale. Season with salt and pepper. Let it cook down for 7 minutes or until the kale and the ribs are tender.
ENJOY!
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