Lemongrass Beef Short Ribs

If you have an afternoon to babysit this batch of braised short ribs, I promise you will be deeply rewarded. Three hours is a lot of time to commit to a dinner, but during the process, the kitchen will be engulfed in an incredible aroma. The meat begins shrinking from the bone about a half hour into cooking and towards the end fall off with the slightest touch. So incredibly tender. And I am so happy to have leftovers.

adapted from Eat, Drink, Paleo

serves 4

The Ingredients:
3 lb beef short ribs
4-5 lemongrass stalks, bruised
Medium knob of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium orange, peel and juice
1/2 lime, juiced
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
3 Tbsp Tamari sauce
1/2 tsp of sea salt
1/2 to 1 tsp chilli flakes
1/4  tsp of black pepper
1/2 tsp of Chinese five spice powder
1 1/2 cup of water
1 crown of broccoli, cut into florets

The Process:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

Arrange the short ribs in a single layer in a deep roasting pan. Scatter the lemon grass, ginger, onion, garlic and orange peel around the beef. In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange juice, lime juice, fish sauce, sesame oil, tamari sauce, water and seasoning. Pour mixture over the beef. Cover tightly with foil.

Bake, covered for 30  minutes at 400, turning the meat halfway through.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 and cook, covered, an additional 2 hours, flipping the meat every 30 minutes.   

Uncover the roasting pan and remove the meat from the bones. Roast, uncovered another 15 minutes. Add the broccoli, tossing to coat in the juices. Roast another 15 minutes or until the broccoli is tender-crisp and the meat has browned.

Lemongrass Dubbel Marinated Chicken

At it again...cooking with beer. I've been in the possession of The American Craft Beer Cookbook for a few months now and I have yet to post any of the recipes. Although, until recently I hadn't a good opportunity to try any of them out. The book runs the gamut from simple to elaborate to slightly convoluted. Some dishes can be thrown together from everyday items in your pantry, while others call for a touches a bit more exotic. The hummus and beer-mosas featured can come together in a pinch. The pork belly corn dogs with truffle mustard or the smoked bologna mousse on chicken skin crostini however...

Let's start on a the slightly less ambition end. This recipe features a beer marinade, using one of my favorite styles: the Belgian Dubbel. The most exotic ingredient is the lemongrass. Every once and again fresh stalks will appear alongside the ginger at our local grocery store. More frequently, I'll find a few stalks in a blister pack by the organic produce. When all else fails, hit up an Asian market.

adapted from John Holl's American Craft Beer Cookbook

serves 3-4

The Ingredients
4 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on
2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and mince
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp ground pepper
2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp brown sugar
juice and zest of 1 lime
1 cup dubbel

The Process:
Pat the chicken dry. In a large bowl or zip top-bag, combine all of the ingredients. Toss, stir or shake to coat. Cover or seal, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to a day.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove the chicken from the marinade. Place skin side down in a large cast iron skillet. Bake for 15 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for another 20-25 minutes or until the juices run clear and the internal temperature reaches 180.

Switch the oven to broil. Broil the chicken, skin side up for 2-3 minutes or until the skin has begun to brown.

Remove from oven and allow to rest 3-4 minutes before serving.