Eating and Drinking Club

I am in the midst of a short rib hangover.

Let me tell you a little story about a book club that started with lovely intentions. Pages were committed, wine was drank, and dinners were made. This only lasted so long. Then we slowly realized we were subjected to each others' choices of books. Going on good faith I chose a book where a man eventually cut his own penis off (it's safe to say I was a little embarrassed at choosing a total downer) and another friend chose a book that lingered into Lifetime channel territory. So with busy lives---this was discussed---and mismatched literary preferences---this was not so much discussed---the book aspect slowly dissipated. For a while we called it "book club," maybe to make ourselves feel better. But now I call it eating-and-drinking club, and why lie, this is just fine with me.



In keeping with some of our "book club" traditions, we rotate dinners and this night was my turn. Our dear friend, and fellow "book club" member, is a vegetarian/pescatarian and is on her honeymoon with one lucky fella, so she could not make it. So when menu planning I thought meat. I don't eat that much meat during the week and it felt like a supreme time to not only cook meat, but something I had never done before. I've heard many a times that you shouldn't experiment with recipes on guests---I have never adhered to this, in fact I practice the total opposite. Guests are my excuse to spend a little bit more and indulge in a recipe that is a bit more extravagant. This has worked out pretty well for me.

So, with my turn upon me and red meat on my mind, I decided to make short ribs. I cook a lot, but I hadn't ever cooked short ribs. Like I mentioned previously, my lovely momma buys me a cookbook for pretty much any significant celebration in my life. And after drooling over one of her cookbooks, The 150 Best American Recipes, I was happy to rip open gift wrap at the next "significant celebration" and find a copy laying beneath.

Flipping through, I stopped at a deeply rich photograph of braised shorts ribs. Caramelized and resting in their own juices they looked perfect for a special night and quite possibly Seattle's seeping into Fall (sigh).

I might take back that sigh if these short ribs equal Fall, because they were so, so, so good! For three hours the short ribs braised in a "Chinese style" liquid of star anise, soy, sherry, ginger, garlic, scallions, and a few more ingredients. Can I just say that braising is pure torture. Wafting through out the house is the smell of sweet salty meat punctuated by spicy star anise and you have to continue with your normal every day tasks for hours while the meat tenderizes and releases itself from the bone.




We all sat and groaned for about five minutes while we shoveled short ribs and mashed potatoes in our mouths. They were heavenly.

Braised Beef Short Ribs Chinese Style

By Leslie Revsin, The 150 Best American Recipes and Come for Dinner

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup fino sherry, dry white wine, or dry vermouth
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 1/3 cups drained and coarsely chopped canned plum tomatoes
2/3 cups water
4 star anise
6-6 1/2 pounds beef short ribs on the bone, cut into 3-inch lengths
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more if needed
6 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
6 scallions, cut into two inch pieces
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger about the diameter of a quarter, cut into 8 slices
2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions, cut on the diagonal, for garnish

Serves 6

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and set rack in the middle level.

Stir the soy sauce, sherry (or wine or vermouth), brown sugar, and tomatoes together in a bowl. Stir in the water and star anise. Set aside.

Dry the ribs with paper towels and season very lightly with salt and generously with pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy flameproof casserole (I used my Le Creuset) over medium-high heat. (The casserole should be large enough to hold all the ribs in no more than two layers). When the oil is hot, add the ribs in batches (do not crowd) and brown on all sides. Remove them as they're browned, adding more oil, if necessary.

When all the ribs are browned, pour off the fat and reduce the heat to low. Add the garlic, scallions pieces, and ginger, alternately tossing and pressing them against the pot for 1 minute to bring out their flavors. Return the ribs to the pot and pour the soy sauce mixture over them. Bring the liquid to simmer and cover. Transfer the ribs to a serving platter. Discard the ginger and star anise and pour the remaining sauce into a large heat-proof glass measuring cup. Let stand for about 5 minutes, then spoon off and discard any fat that has risen to the surface. Reheat the sauce, season generously with pepper, and pour the ribs. Garnish with the thinly sliced scallions and serve hot.