Thursday, February 9, 2012
I bookmarked this recipe not too long ago and finally put it on my grocery list. I hesitated buying the ingredients at the grocery store because I thought they were too simple and this soup wouldn’t have enough flavor to taste good. But standing in the middle of the grocery store wasn’t the time to research a new low calorie meal to go in its place. Lucky for me this Cheesy Spinach Soup turned out pretty fantastic.
So, how’s it taste?
It takes like spinach cheese dip. Did you read that folks? Tastes. Like. Spinach. Cheese. Dip. I was so wrong about the simple ingredients not adding up to much flavor. It’s thick and gooey with cheese and full of good-for-you spinach. Now if you’re a texture person and you don’t like cooked spinach, this is not the soup for you. I don’t want to say the spinach is slimy, but it’s close. It didn’t bother me in the least. I couldn’t shovel this soup into my mouth fast enough. I even dipped my sandwich in it! (Yes, that’s also pickled okra you see on the plate, my new obsession!) It makes four big bowlfuls and is less than 300 calories per serving. The fat grams are a little high, so it’s not exactly a perfect choice if you count how many calories are from fat, but I don’t look at that all the time. All that matters to me is that it’s low in calories and it’s full of cheese. It also freezes well, but I doubt it will stick around long enough for you to freeze it.
Cheesy Spinach Soup
Ingredients:
1 (14 oz.) can reduced-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian)
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach
1 tsp. onion powder
1 (12 oz.) can fat-free evaporated milk
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 (8 oz.) cups shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese
salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, combine broth, spinach, and onion powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 5 to 7 minutes or until spinach is thoroughly cooked.
2. In a small bowl, combine milk and flour; blend until smooth. Add to soup; cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly and thickened.
3. Reduce heat to low; simmer 2 minutes. Add cheese; cook and stir until cheese is melted and soup is thoroughly heated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Monday, February 6, 2012
This Italian Fettuccine Pie is quite interesting. Cheese, tomatoes, beef, and a crust made out of fettuccine and mozzarella. Know what else? A slice is only 350 calories. Usually when I’m on the prowl for new recipes that are figure-friendly, pasta and cheese and beef do not land on my list. It sounded good and I was curious about the noodle crust.
So, how’s it taste?
It’s good! It’s kind of like a cross between spaghetti and lasagna. The meat sauce is on top and has chunks of stewed tomatoes and Italian seasoning. I used stewed tomatoes already seasoned, but still added the Italian seasoning for extra flavor. I think instead of using stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes would work better. I ended up cutting the stewed tomatoes and buying them diced would have saved me some time. Underneath the meat sauce was a layer of cottage cheese and broccoli. Sounds weird to have broccoli in the mix of all this, but it works. The cottage cheese is creamy and light, but the broccoli adds a nice crunch to the dish…plus a touch of green veggies never hurts. Now on to the crust! I loved it. It was easier to assemble than I thought. Cook the fettuccine and add mozzarella and an egg to bind. The mozzarella doesn’t blend perfectly, but you end up with chunks of mozzarella throughout the crust that I really liked. I left an “edge” on my crust so you could see the noodles on top, but I don’t recommend doing that. It makes for a pretty presentation, but some of the exposed noodles got crunchy and not in a good way. Next time I’ll spread the meat mixture entirely over the top.
This is one of those dishes that gets better the next day. When you slice it the first time after baking, it’s a bit runny from the tomato beef mixture. The next day, after a night in the fridge, it really sets up and comes together nicely. I’m excited about the leftovers from this one!
Italian Fettuccine Pie
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
1 can (8 oz.) stewed tomatoes or diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
6 oz. uncooked fettuccine
2 eggs
1 tbsp. butter, melted
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz.)
1 cup small-curd cottage cheese
1 cup frozen broccoli florets, thawed, or chopped fresh broccoli
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, and Italian seasoning. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat. Cover; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, cook and drain fettuccine as directed on package.
3. In medium bowl, beat one of the eggs and the butter. Stir in fettuccine and mozzarella cheese. In ungreased 9-inch quiche dish or pie plate, spoon and press mixture evenly in bottom and up side of dish. The trick to this is get another pie plate or a large bowl and press it into the crust. It shapes it for you and presses it up the sides. Leave it on for a few minutes to set.
4. In small bowl, mix cottage cheese and remaining egg; spread over fettuccine mixture in dish. Sprinkle with broccoli. Spoon beef mixture evenly over top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until hot in center. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
It looks so cute right? I made myself a little Happy Birthday cake! Yep, today’s my birthday! Now don’t go feeling sorry for me that I made my own cake. I was having fun with the Wilton Tasty Fill Mini Cake Pans and thought I’d whip something together for a post on my special day. Plus my foodie BFF Shannon over at Family Bites is baking me something fantastic tomorrow! See what she baked for me last year. I love the combination of chocolate, peanut butter, and banana, so I thought I’d come up with a creation of those flavors pulling from several different recipes. That resulted in Surprise Butterfinger Banana Cake! There’s only one problem though…if you notice, this post is in the Oops! category. *sigh
So, how’s it taste?
It’s horrible. So, so bad. The cake turned out thick, not light and moist like I wanted. I halved the recipe and followed it to a T and it just didn’t taste good. Part of the problem is my fault. I needed very ripe bananas and it’s hard to find them when they aren’t green. So my bananas weren’t ripe enough. The cake has that slight gross taste from unripe bananas. Some folks eat green bananas, I like mine with tons of black spots, that’s when you know they’re going to be sweet and delicious. So strike one there. There’s Butterfinger chunks throughout but not enough. I almost added some mini chocolate chips and after, I wish I had.
You can probably guess strike two. The “surprise” part was the filling inside. I picked a filling from a Butterfinger pie recipe that I’ve made before (pre-blog so it’s not on here…yet). The pie was fantastic, but as you can see, it didn’t set up enough to hold its own once the cake was cut. Oozing Butterfinger filling everywhere. But on the plus side, it tasted fantastic! It’s peanut buttery and also has chunks of crunchy Butterfinger. I’m not sure what I did wrong here. I needed about 1/8 of the regular recipe and recipe math is a big ol’ pain in the butt, so I’m sure I’m to blame for this one. I remember the pie filling being thicker, but it’s really difficult to fourth an egg yolk and even a bigger pain to figure out 1/16 of a teaspoon.
I frosted the cake with chocolate tub frosting. Don’t judge…it’s my birthday and I freakin’ love that stuff. So at least the frosting and bits of Butterfinger tasted good. I decided not to give you the recipe because I think the cake part is just gross and not a good recipe. I’d like to revisit this flavor combination some day and see if I can make it taste good. I like the idea, but it needs some work.
Monday, January 30, 2012
I’m always on the lookout this time of year for soups or stews, and it’s a huge bonus when they’re easy to make and low calorie. I have a habit of adding on a few extra pounds after the holidays, so I want food that not only will help me get back on track, but it has to taste good. This time of year is perfect for soups. I instantly bookmarked Coconut Fish Chowder when I found it. Savory soup with rice and big chunks of fresh fish, plus anything with coconut gets my vote!
So, how’s it taste?
I enjoyed the flavors in this soup, but as you can see from the picture, it was more like fish and rice. My soup didn’t have much liquid left to it after all was said and done. It had a mouth-watering aroma from the coconut, but the coconut wasn’t as strong in taste. I would have liked a bit more. I used regular coconut milk because I couldn’t find the lighter version. I expected this soup to have very strong flavors, but it really doesn’t. It’s good, but it’s light on flavor, which actually works because it’s so hearty and filling, but not heavy or rich.
The best thing about this soup is how fast it comes together. A little chopping, heat the ingredients, and in no time you’ve got dinner on the table. I used haddock in my version, but any firm white fish will work. The contrast in textures from the bit of broth, chunks of tender fish, and rice was nice. The fresh lime juice brings it all together. I left out the bell peppers, but if you like them, give them a try in this soup! Soups can often be a bit boring and leave you wanting more, but not this one. The leftovers will keep for a few days in the refrigerator, but since it’s fish, I wouldn’t eat the leftovers past day two.
Coconut Fish Chowder
Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked instant rice
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 medium bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth
1 (14 oz.) can lite coconut milk
1 tbsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1/8 tsp. turmeric
1 lb. orange roughy or haddock fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients through turmeric. Bring to a boil.
2. Add fish. Reduce heat; simmer 5 to 8 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Homemade bread is such fun to make, especially when you have the help of a bread machine. I like to let the bread machine do the work for me, so I use the dough cycle a lot. This saves me quite a bit of effort, then I can take the dough out and shape the bread as I want. I make a lot of dinner rolls this way and they are delicious, plus you know the ingredients and there’s none of those extra things you can’t pronounce. I couldn’t wait to take my easy technique to the next level and make Sun-Dried Tomato Rolls! Yep, all in the bread machine, too!
So, how’s it taste?
So good! They were a nice change from regular rolls. I love the orange color with specks of sun-dried tomatoes throughout. The rolls are light and fluffy, just like the regular ones I make, but they have an added tang and slight sweetness from the tomatoes. I ate these with soup to make a hearty meal. A few times I split the rolls in half, toasted them, smeared on some butter, and had a nice little snack. I do love my carbs as much as I love chocolate!
The great thing about these rolls is you can freeze them in a freezer bag and pull out what you need. So make a few batches and have them in your freezer as a quick bread to go with any meal! If you like your rolls to have soft sides, place them closer together on the cookie sheet and bake them until the tops are golden brown.
Sun-Dried Tomato Rolls
Ingredients:
3/4 cup warm milk
2 cups bread flour
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and 1 tbsp. oil reserved
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. bread machine yeast
Directions:
1. Place all ingredients in bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer.
2. Select the Dough/Manual cycle. Do not use the delay cycle.
3. Remove dough from pan; place on lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
4. Lightly grease cookie sheet with shortening or spray with cooking spray. Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Cover and let rise in warm place 30 to 45 minutes or until almost double.
5. Heat oven to 350°F. Bake 12 to 16 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Serve warm or cooled.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
A few weeks ago was the big game in college football. A few friends of mine got together to watch it and they were serving chili, so I wanted to bring something (besides drinks & Jell-O shots) that would go with chili. I instantly thought of cornbread. Plus, I was dying to use my new scone and cornbread pan. I needed an easy recipe that I could make the day before and yet still taste good the next night. Easy Cheese Cornbread Wedges did the trick! It couldn’t be easier than doctoring a cornbread mix and the result was fantastic.
So, how’s it taste?
Yes, I know it’s a mix and from scratch would probably be just as easy, but go with it. I thought these cornbread wedges turned out pretty well. I like cornbread both ways, sweet and savory. Since I used a mix as the base, this cornbread was more on the sweet side, so if you aren’t a fan of sweet cornbread, don’t make these. I think they were a tad bit too sweet, but the addition of green onions and cheese helped tone it down. They were moist and I liked the hint of onion in each bite. It worked really well with the chili. I used Kerry Gold’s Kilaree cheese instead of cheddar, so the cheese wasn’t very prominent. I think a sharp cheddar would be excellent and help on the sweetness even more.
I loved using the scone & cornbread pan! It made perfect, individual wedges. If you don’t have this pan, you could make the recipe in a cast iron skillet or try a muffin pan.
Easy Cheese Cornbread Wedges
Ingredients:
2 pouches (6.5 oz. each) cornbread & muffin mix (I used Betty Crocker)
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
4 medium green onions, chopped (1/4 cup)
3/4 cup shredded cheddar
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400°F. Grease a divided scone pan with shortening. Make muffin mixes as directed on pouch, using milk, butter, and eggs. Stir in onions and cheese. Spoon evenly into each wedge of pan.
2. Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan to cooling rack.
Monday, January 23, 2012
It’s surprising to me how a simple side dish can have such a wow factor. Yes, this is a dish of onions, and I really like onions, but they don’t usually leave such a lasting impression as Port-Glazed Pearl Onions. Cooking these little beauties in port creates this fantastic glaze. It’s sweet, and thick, and rich, and goes perfectly served over Steakhouse Steaks.
So, how’s it taste?
I could seriously eat an entire bowl of these pearl onions by themselves with a spoon. They are so tender and full of so much flavor. Pearl onions aren’t overly oniony to begin with, so when they simmer in a port-sugar-vinegar concoction, they turn into almost a dessert. I think the vinegar keeps it from being over-the-top syrupy sweet, and the bit of butter at the very end makes it insanely decadent.
If you can find red pearl onions, they work even better in this dish to show off the port color. I could only find white and they work just as well, but you don’t get as much of the pretty red color.
Port-Glazed Pearl Onions
Ingredients:
2 cups pearl onions, peeled
1 1/2 cups tawny port
1 tbsp. sugar
1 cup low-sodium beef stock
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
coarse salt & freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, bring onions and port to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce to a thin syrup, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
2. Add sugar and cook until dissolved, about 1 minute. Add stock and vinegar and simmer (do not boil) until reduced and thickened, and the onions are tender, about 10 minutes. Add butter, stirring until melted. Season with salt and pepper.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
I’m getting so good at taking the ugliest pictures of food that I almost don’t want to learn how to do it right. Ok, that’s not true in the least, but it makes me feel better when I post gems like what you see below. Meat is a hard subject to make look pretty for the camera, so I gave up before I got started, but Steakhouse Steaks are too damn good to not have a home on my blog. I was introduced to making awesome filets years ago from an ex-boyfriend and then finally decided to cook them myself after seeing Ina Garten make them on her Food Network show. They are fantastic and rival any you’d find at a nice steakhouse.
So, how’s it taste?
There’s just no better way to eat a steak, especially a nice filet. The ex-boyfriend sure could cook (he made killer chicken salad, too) and he’s the first person who told me about Char Crust. It’s a dry rub and it comes in several varieties and it’s the bee’s knees. For the steaks, it’s best to use the Roasted Garlic Peppercorn variety. The secret of the rub is the bit of sugar in it. I don’t know the science behind it, but it makes all the difference. So if you want to mix your own dry rub, just make sure there’s some sugar involved. The next secret to great steaks is a cast iron skillet. Don’t make this recipe without it. Go out and buy yourself a Lodge if you don’t own one.
When I pick out a filet, I like them thick…around 2 inches. You won’t find it cut that way at chain grocery stores, so you may have to get your butcher to cut them special for you. Searing the steaks on all sides in a really hot skillet seals in all those glorious juices and the Char Crust gives a huge boost of flavor over using only salt and pepper. What’s nice about the Char Crust is it doesn’t steal the show from the filet. It really does form a thin crust that’s slightly crunchy and leaves the inside tender and amazingly juicy. The pat of butter takes it a touch over the top with a hint of richness. You’ll be really impatient when you smell the filet cooking, but it’s important to let it rest before you cut into it. You don’t want all those juices leaving too early!
In my next post, I’ll give you a recipe for the world’s best onions to serve on top of this steak. It’s a meal you’ll think about constantly from the first bite!
Steakhouse Steaks
Ingredients:
2 (10 oz.) filet mignon
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
Roasted Garlic Peppercorn Char Crust
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Heat a large, well-seasoned cast iron skillet over high heat until very hot, 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and brush with vegetable oil. Pour some Char Crust on a plate and roll the steaks in the mixture, pressing lightly to evenly coat all sides. You won't use the entire pack of Char Crust, so pour a little on the plate at a time. You'll need to throw away what's leftover on the plate since it's touched raw meat.
3. Add the steaks to the skillet and sear evenly on all sides for about 2 minutes per side, for a total of 10 minutes. Use tongs to help you turn and hold the steaks.
4. Top each steak with a tablespoon of butter and place the skillet in the oven. Cook the steaks until they reach 125F for rare, 130F for medium-rare, or 140F for medium on an instant-read thermometer. (To test the steaks, insert the thermometer sideways to be sure you're actually testing the middle of the steak.)
5. Move the steaks to a serving platter, cover tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Tomorrow is National Coffee Break Day, although with my mean iced coffee addiction, I celebrate every day! I like to drink coffee hot or iced and I like to cook and bake with it. One of my all-time favorite desserts is tiramisu. A few months back, I hosted a dinner party and served Easy Tiramisu. It was easy enough, but I used coffee that was way too dark and bitter, and it made for quite an embarrassing finish to dinner. I was thrilled when the nice folks at Starbucks sent me a package of their new lighter Blonde Roast in the Veranda Blend. Did I brew a cup of coffee? Nope. I immediately thought of my tiramisu oops and made another one using the Blonde Roast VIA packet!
So, how’s it taste?
Whoo hoo! Hello tasty, delicious, not-at-all bitter tiramisu! I’ll admit I was a little nervous making batch #2 because Starbucks coffee has always been way too dark for me, even the medium roasts. I expected their Blonde Roast would still be too much. I’m happy to report that there’s finally a coffee for me at Starbucks. The Blonde Roast was just enough coffee flavor to make Easy Tiramisu a hit. I didn’t want the coffee to compete with the insanely decadent mascarpone filling, it needed to compliment it. It’s not too sweet and has a subtle hint of the brandy. Paired with delicate ladyfingers in coffee and a light dusting of chocolate, it’s heaven. It took me minutes to put this dessert together and the hardest part was waiting on it to set in the fridge. I halved the recipe to make a smaller one and it worked great. The full recipe serves four, but it’s really big servings, so you could probably get six total.
To make sure I wasn’t crazy in liking the new Blonde Roast, I brewed some for a nice cup of coffee. Again, I’ll admit, I was nervous I’d hate the cup of coffee and only really liked it in dessert. As it was brewing, it smelled awesome. It smelled like coffee that I would want to drink. I enjoyed it…a lot. I couldn’t believe this was from Starbucks.
Disclosure: Starbucks sent me free samples of their new Blonde Roast Veranda Blend coffee, but I was not compensated for this post. All opinions expressed here are solely my own.
Starbucks wants you to enjoy their new Blonde Roast Veranda Blend, too! TWO lucky winners will each receive a Starbucks mug, sample bags of Blonde Roast Veranda Blend, and a pack of VIA Ready Brew Veranda Blend. You can make this Easy Tiramisu or try these Espresso Caramel Bars! Once you try the new Blonde Roast, share your experience on twitter using the hashtag #StarbucksBlonde.
To enter: All you need to do is comment on this post and tell me how you take your coffee. Black, with cream and sugar, in a dessert…? This giveaway is only open to U.S. residents.
Optional entries: For up to two additional entries, do one or both of the following and leave a separate comment telling me you did so.
1. Follow @sohowsittaste on Twitter and tweet the following: “I can’t wait to try the new @Starbucks Blonde Roast! Win a cool mug and samples from @sohowsittaste! http://bit.ly/zj8jo5 #StarbucksBlonde”
2. Like So, How’s It Taste? on Facebook and include your first name and last name initial in the comment so I can verify.
I’ll randomly select the winner on Wednesday, January 25th at noon Central. Please make sure you enter a valid email address as an alternate winner will be chosen if I don’t hear from you within 24 hours. Good luck!
Congratulations to Jamie (comment #43) and Aubrey (comment #5)!
You’ll both enjoy Starbucks Blonde Roast in a snazzy mug very soon!
Winners chosen using Random.org
Thanks to everyone who entered!
Easy Tiramisu
Ingredients:
1 Starbucks VIA Ready Brew Veranda Blend packet
1 cup boiling water
2/3 cup mascarpone cheese
2/3 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp. brandy
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup sugar
12 store-bought ladyfingers (about 6 oz.)
1 oz. semisweet chocolate, shaved or grated
Directions:
1. Mix the Starbucks VIA packet and boiling water until dissolved. Refrigerate until cool.
2. With an electric mixer, whisk together the mascarpone, heavy cream, brandy, vanilla, and sugar until soft peaks form.
3. Place the ladyfingers in an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch glass loaf pan so they fit snugly, trimming the ends if necessary to fit. Pour the Starbucks VIA in a shallow bowl. Briefly dip the ladyfingers in the coffee, one at a time, coating both sides. Do not fully submerge or you'll soak up too much of the coffee.
4. Line the bottom of the pan with half the ladyfingers. Spoon half the mascarpone mixture on top. Layer with the remaining ladyfingers and the mascarpone mixture. Smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle with chocolate.
5. Cover the dish and refrigerate until set, at least one hour or up to overnight.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Welcome to the newest category on my blog, the Oops! category. It’s not the first time I’ve had an oops in the kitchen and it certainly won’t be the last. But sometimes those oops turn into lessons learned, so instead of leaving them off the blog, I thought it was time to share my disasters with you. Plus it makes for a pretty good chuckle! I couldn’t wait to make Braised Ribs, Stout, and Potato Pot Pie. Start it in the morning and it’ll be ready just in time for lunch. No sides to worry about, just a small salad and rolls to round out the meal. What could have been easier? Stay tuned…
So, how’s it taste?
The picture above, although truly horrid, isn’t showing how fugly this dish turned out. Let’s start from the beginning. This was supposed to be Christmas lunch, so no pressure, you know. The oops! started when I was grocery shopping. The original recipe calls for short ribs and they could not be found anywhere in the booming metropolis of Clarksville, Tennessee. After having a meltdown in Kroger (and let me tell you this only child is still really good at them), I settled on country-style ribs. Fast-forward to the next day. Everything went fine preparing the filling. The house smelled fantastic and I was starting to realize that the change in meat wasn’t going to be a problem. Braising in Guinness is pure genius. I don’t drink the stuff, but paired with onions and rosemary, it’s fantastic.
Those damn potatoes. First, I don’t know what Martha was thinking calling for 6 potatoes. There’s no way all those slices of potatoes would fit on top of this dish. So I stopped at three and that was plenty. Forgetting that potatoes start to turn brown the second they’re peeled, I prepped my potatoes way too far in advance. I peeled and sliced them when the filling still had 30 minutes to cook. Big mistake. Sitting on the counter, they turned darker and darker. Was I worried? No. “Oh, they’ll be fine when they cook and get crispy and golden on top.” Um, yeah, it doesn’t work that way. Browning potatoes get purple and keep turning darker and darker until they’re almost black when you cook them. And they taste like ass, like fishy ass. But thanks, mom, for eating it anyway. 
She’s the best.
I scraped my fishy, black potatoes off and found the filling underneath was to die for. Country-style ribs or short ribs, Guinness is the way to go. The meat was tender, full of flavor and I liked the two kinds of onions. Both are on the sweet side, but not so much so that it ruins the meat. After cooking that long, the yellow onion sort of dissolves into the filling and the cipollinis keep their shape, but are soft and delicious. Imagine how tasty the whole thing would’ve been had I not screwed up the potato topping!
I made sandwiches with the leftover filling and it knocked my socks off! Three lessons learned: #1 potatoes brown quickly when peeled, so prep them right before you need them or submerge in water; #2 Guinness as your braising liquid is the best thing since sliced bread; #3 meltdowns over meat selections in Clarksville aren’t really necessary, and it scares small children.
Braised Ribs, Stout, and Potato Pot Pie
Ingredients:
Filling
4 lbs. country-style ribs (or boneless short ribs)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. oil
1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 (12 oz.) bottles stout (preferably Guinness), room temperature
2 rosemary sprigs
1 lb. cipollini onions, peeled
Topping
3 medium baking potatoes
olive oil for brushing
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300F. Season ribs with salt and pepper. Dredge ribs in flour, coating all sides. Transfer to a large plate. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the ribs on all sides. Transfer to a large plate.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to Dutch oven and cook until golden, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Return meat to Dutch oven. Add Guinness and rosemary. Bring to a simmer. Cover and transfer to oven. Bake for 2 1/2 hours.
3. Remove Dutch oven from oven. Add cipollini onions. Braise until meat is tender and onions are cooked through, about 30 minutes. Shred meat using two forks and discard bones. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer filling to a 12-inch (8-cup) gratin dish.
4. Raise the oven temperature to 375F. For the topping, peel the potatoes and very thinly slice (preferably on a mandoline). Arrange potatoes over meat to form tight concentric circles, working around the edge and overlapping each potato by three-quarters. Brush with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until topping is golden and filling is bubbling, about 45 minutes to an hour.
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