If you have the time, this is a wonderful weekend dish for entertaining.  It takes several hours, and there aren’t any short cuts you can take to cook the meat, but the majority of the time is hands-off and the results are well worth the effort.  Short ribs are economical for entertaining (in NYC I paid $35 for 4 lbs.) and, when cooked well, are rich in flavorful and extraordinarily tender.

I like to make the meat with enough time to refrigerate the sauce so I can skim the excess fat before reheating, but it’s not an essential step if you’re short on time.

Serve this over any type of mashed potatoes.  I made a mix of mashed apples and potatoes (cooked in apple cider) for a seasonal twist and the flavors married well.  I also served it with a side of shaved fennel and green apple salad and the crispness of the salad was a nice contrast to the rich meat and potatoes.  The only thing missing from the meal was a punch of color; the meat, potatoes and fennel were a bit bland to look at.  Chopped parsley as a garnish added a bit of color, but it wasn’t as visually appealing as I would have liked.  Mashed sweet potatoes or roasted beets would have added some color to the dish so I may try one of those additions to the meal next time.

This recipe is based on the basic recipe for braised short ribs in Simple to Spectacular by Jean-Georges and Mark Bittman.

Short Ribs Braised in Red Wine

2 Tbs. canola or olive oil

3 Tbs. butter

4 lbs. short ribs

Salt and pepper

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

4 large cloves garlic, chopped

1 bottle sturdy red wine, such as Zinfandel

4 branches thyme

4 stems parsley

1 bay leaf

½ cup chopped parsley, for garnish

1.  Preheat oven to 350˚F.  Add tablespoon of oil and butter to cast iron pot or covered roasting dish and melt over high heat.  Add ribs and brown well on all sides, seasoning meat with salt and pepper as it cooks (about 20 minutes total).  Work in batches if necessary [I browned the meat in 2 batches in a large cast iron pot].  Remove meat from, pour out fat and wipe pan clean.

2.  Add remaining tablespoon oil and another tablespoon butter to pan and melt over medium-high heat.  Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring until the onions are soft (about 8 minutes).  Add red wine, thyme, parsley stems and bay leaf and bring to boil.  Add ribs, cover, and cook in oven until meat is very tender and falling from bone, about 3 hours.  Turn the meat once or twice an hour.

3.  Transfer ribs to a platter.  Strain liquid from vegetables in a medium bowl, pressing hard on vegetables to extract all of the liquid.  Refrigerate liquid separate from ribs and, once chilled, skim fat from sauce (there will be a tick layer that is easy to remove with a spoon, leaving a silky sauce below).

4.  To reheat:  Add sauce to pan and bring to boil.  Stir in remaining tablespoon butter and whisk until slightly thickened.  Add ribs and ¼ cup chopped parsley.  Heat ribs through, add salt and pepper to taste, and additional red wine if necessary (about ¼ cup at a time), and serve garnished with remaining chopped parsley.

Serves 4

My crop-share has been doling out green bell peppers in massive quantities.  While I love the sweet-earthy flavor of red, orange and yellow bell peppers, I find green peppers to be slightly bitter when raw and prefer them cooked.  After making several rounds of fajitas I decided to stuff the remaining bounty with a flavorful sun-dried tomato chicken sausage mixture.  I added some leftover cooked rice to the mix and it made for a deliciously healthy and satisfying meal.  Choose peppers that sit evenly if you plan to stuff them, and if your peppers are lopsided and/or wobbly, slice a very thin piece off the bottom to give them a flat base.

Some stuffed pepper recipes call for steaming or blanching the peppers before stuffing and baking.  I prefer a firm, slightly crisp pepper shell in this dish so I skip the pre-cooking.

Stuffed Peppers with Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Sausage

4 green bell peppers

1 lb. sun-dried tomato chicken sausage, removed from casing

½ C. onion, chopped

15oz can tomato sauce (I used no salt added)

½ C. green bell pepper, chopped (used leftover pepper from sliced-off tops)

2 Tbs. fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped + additional for garnish

1 ½ tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. dried oregano

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Fresh-ground black pepper to taste

1 C. cooked rice (any kind will work; I used brown rice)

1 egg, beaten

4 oz crumbled goat cheese (optional)

1.            Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice tops off peppers (about ½” from top), carefully remove core and seeds and rise with cold water to remove any remaining seeds.  Set peppers aside and make the filling by browning the chicken sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook until soft and slightly brown.  Add chopped green pepper, tomato sauce, salt, garlic powder, oregano, red pepper flakes and black pepper.  Cook until peppers are slightly soft and adjust seasoning if necessary.

2.            Remove chicken mixture from heat and place in a bowl to cool for several minutes.  Add rice and beaten egg and mix well.  Place hallowed peppers upright in a pie dish and, using a tablespoon, carefully fill peppers with chicken sausage mixture.

Bake peppers, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until peppers are bright green and slightly soft.  Top with goat cheese, if using, and return to oven for a few minutes to melt cheese.  Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Serves 4 (serving = 1 pepper)

I thought I’d post one of my favorite grilled chicken recipes for all those grilling over the holiday weekend.  Basil & garlic rubbed grilled chicken doesn’t sound particularly exciting, but this herb smothered chicken is really delicious.  This recipe is ideal for a last-minute dinner because the chicken absorbs the intense flavor of the basil without any significant marinating time.  I like to slice the chicken and serve it over salad with a simple balsamic vinaigrette.

To save time, ask the butcher at your grocery store to pound the chicken into cutlets for you, which cuts down on the cooking time.

Basil & Garlic Rubbed Grilled Chicken

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. kosher salt

½ C. fresh basil, chopped

½ tsp. fresh-ground black pepper

½ Tbs. olive oil (plus additional for grilling)

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to ½” thickness

1.            Place garlic in mortar and mash with salt to form a paste.  Add basil and black pepper and continue mashing until well combined.  Add in just enough olive oil (about ½ Tbs.) to form a paste.  Combine basil paste with chicken in a ziplock bag and turn the bag several times to coat the chicken with the basil.  Set aside for 5 minutes while you prepare the grill (or grill pan).

2.            Heat the grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.  Rub grill or pan with olive oil.  Grill chicken, turning once, until cooked through (about 3-5 minutes per side).

My sister sent me a similar recipe for a cauliflower dish that I mentally filed away as a quick and simple vegan dish to make with little fresh produce in the fridge.  I culled various recipes for Aloo Gobi to find the right balance of spices to make this dish taste authentic.  This is a great recipe for anyone looking to get started on Indian home cooking.  Note that the addition of golden raisins is not part of the traditional recipes, but I added them to give the dish a sweet and chewy contrast to the warm spices.

Aloo Gobi is a very filling dish, especially when served over jasmine rice.  I also like to serve it with a chickpea pancake (mix equal parts chickpea flour with water and add a dash of cumin and salt), or store-bought naan.

Aloo Gobi (Indian Potatoes & Cauliflower)

2 Tbs. coconut oil, ghee or canola oil

1 medium onion

3 cloves garlic

1 lb. potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” pieces

1 tbs. fresh ginger, grated

1 lb. cauliflower florets (frozen)

1 – 2 cups water, as needed

½ C. frozen peas

1 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. paprika

½ tsp. coriander

dash cinnamon

¼ C. golden raisins (optional)

1. Heat medium dutch oven or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add oil or ghee until smoking, then add onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are deep golden brown and soft.

2. Add the garlic, potatoes and ginger; sauté until potatoes are slightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Add in spices (turmeric through cinnamon) and continue to cook, coating the potatoes with the spice mixture.  Add cauliflower and water, then cover and simmer until vegetables are tender (about 5 minutes).  Add peas and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until peas are soft and warmed throughout.  Add additional water if needed, keeping a thick sauce on the vegetables.  Season with additional salt and pepper and add golden raisins, if using.

Being a Hip Hostess isn’t always about entertaining at home.  Sometimes, once of the most appreciated dinner you can provide is at someone else’s house.  Our friends just had a baby so we brought dinner to them.  Thinking of a good, portable meal can be a bit of a challenge so I’ll share the recipe we brought:  Thai Curry Ground Beef over brown rice, served with a simple salad of romaine, cucumbers and cilantro vinaigrette.  Bring a tin of cookies or brownies too and your friends will so appreciate your hosting skills.

Here’s how to transport the meal:  Pack the beef and rice in separate tupperware containers, put the salad in a ziplock bag along with the dressing, (I like to use an empty spice jar for the dressing, but any screw-top container will work).  Stack the containers in a reusable bag with a flat bottom, using a piece of cardboard to separate the layers to make sure the salad doesn’t get wilted from the warmth of the other food.  Also, remember to bring disposable plates, utensils and napkins (I like to bring sturdy, eco-friendly bamboo plates) so you don’t leave any dishes behind.  Pack a few bottles of sparkling water and a nice bottle of red wine or some beer (beer is especially great for newly nursing mamas – the hops help to bring in their milk!).  This meal was easy enough to transport in one bag on the subway.

Thai Curry Ground Beef

Cooking spray or 1 Tbs. sesame or peanut oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 lb grass-fed lean ground sirloin

½ -1 tsp. red curry paste (such as Thai Kitchen)

1 cup tomato sauce

½ cup light coconut milk

1 Tbs. brown sugar or ½ Tbs. agave nectar

¼ tsp. grated lime rind

1 ½ Tbs. fresh lime juice

1 Tbs. Asian fish sauce

½ cup cilantro, chopped

Bib lettuce (optional)

Chopped green onions (optional)

1.                        Heat large skillet over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray or 1 Tbs. oil, then add onion and sauté until translucent and soft.  Add garlic and sauté 1 minute.  Add beef, stirring to crumble, and cook until lightly browned and cooked through.  (Note:  If there is a lot of liquid after beef is cooked, pour some out, leaving about ¼ cup of liquid in the pan and discarding the rest).

2.                        Add curry paste and tomato sauce to pan and cook until liquid is reduced to a thick sauce, after about 4 minutes.  Add coconut milk through fish sauce, and cook an additional 4 minutes, or until reduced to a thick sauce.  Add green onion.  Serve over brown rice with bib lettuce slices for scooping, garnishing with cilantro.

Hip Tips:

• Double this recipe and freeze half of the beef mixture for a quick weeknight dinner in the future.  Serve it over rice or with bib lettuce leaves to use as lettuce wraps for the beef.

Serve this complete meal for two for a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner.  It requires little advance preparation and minimal clean-up, leaving you with plenty of time and energy to enjoy a proper “thank you” for your culinary efforts.

Roasted Rack of Lamb

1 Rack (8 ribs) of lamb, frenched (about 1.25 lbs)
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for roasting potatoes
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
¼ cup parsley, chopped
1 Tbs. fresh thyme, chopped or ½ tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. dried oregano
Juice of ½ lemon (about 2 Tbs.)
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. fresh-ground black pepper
½ lb. Yucon gold or other potatoes (about 6 small), thinly sliced length-wise

1.            Combine olive oil through salt and pepper in a zip lock bag.  Add lamb and marinate, turning bag occasionally, for at least ½ hour or up to 1 day in advance.  (Place bag in a medium casserole to prevent drips).

2.            Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Remove lamb from marinate and place in the center of a roasting pan coated with olive oil.  Stack potato slices on either side of the lamb and drizzle with additional olive oil, salt and pepper.  Place roasting pan in the top third of the oven and roast for 20 minutes, removing pan from oven half way through to flip potatoes.  After 20 minutes, remove lamb from pan and place the rack on a plate.  (After resting, lamb will be medium-rare; if you prefer more well done meat, cook for an additional 5 minutes for medium or 10 minutes for medium-well).  Tent lamb with tin foil and let it rest (covered) for 10 minutes.  Spread potatoes into a single layer and return potatoes to oven, continuing to cook until they are medium brown and slightly crispy.  Cut rack of lamb in half and divide between two plates, along with the potatoes.

• Variation:  You can easily add a vegetable to this one-pan dish, such as green beans or spinach.  To make green beans: Add trimmed green beans to the roasting pan after removing the lamb from the pan and cook, along with the potatoes, for 10 minutes.  To make spinach: Remove potatoes from roasting pan when they are done cooking, place 1 bag of prewashed spinach in the roasting pan (not over a heat source – the pan is hot enough from the oven to wilt the spinach), and toss the spinach in the pan until it is fully wilted.  Sprinkle vegetables with salt and pepper and serve along with lamb and potatoes.

Sweet potatoes, plump blackberries and mild cheddar cheese unite for a delicious and super simple fall appetizer or vegetarian dinner.  These quesadillas are truly one of my favorite quick menu options; they take 25 minutes from start to finish.  They come together even faster if using leftover mashed sweet potatoes and cooking the quesadillas several at a time on a griddle.

You’ll love the unique flavor combination of these filling quesadillas.  Serve them with sour cream or Greek yogurt (a healthier substitute) and enjoy! 

Sweet Potato Quesadillas

2 large sweet potatoes

4oz fresh or frozen blackberries

8oz cheddar cheese, shredded or sliced thin

12 corn tortillas (8”)

Kosher salt

Sour cream (or Greek yogurt) and salsa

Chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)

1.         Wash potatoes, scrubbing dirt from skin.  Poke several holes in potatoes using a sharp knife; wrap each potato in a single paper towel and microwave until soft when squeezed.  Once cooked, cut a slit lengthwise on each potato and let cool for a few minutes.  Peel off skin and place cooked potato flesh in a bowl.  Mash lightly with a fork, and sprinkle with salt to taste.

2.         Lay 6 corn tortillas on counter and divide mashed potatoes evenly among each tortilla.  Spread potatoes until almost at the edge of tortillas.  Top with blackberries (about 4-5 per quesadilla), pressing them into potatoes.  Sprinkle with cheese and top with remaining tortillas.

3.         Spray tops of tortillas with nonstick cooking spray and place top side down on preheated griddle or nonstick pan.  Spray other side of tortillas as they cook and flip when slightly brown.  Cook bottom until also slightly brown.  If making in batches, keep cooked tortillas warm on baking sheet in preheated 200 degree oven.  Cut quesadillas into 4 wedges and serve with sour cream and salsa.

The best lamb burger I ever had was prepared  by a Greek man at a farmer’s market in Kinsale, Ireland.  The secret ingredient, he told me, was the addition of ouzo – a Greek anise-flavored spirit (similar to Italy’s Sambuca).  So I decided to make lamb meatballs using ouzo and they were phenomenal!  Don’t be afraid of the anise flavor – it isn’t licoricey.  Ouzo gives depth of flavor and keeps the meatballs deliciously moist.  No dipping sauce is needed for these flavorful lamb meatballs.

To make-ahead for a party, prepare the meatballs up to 2 days in advance and undercook them.  Reheat in the microwave for about 2 minutes, adding an additional minute at a time if needed.

Ouzo Lamb Meatballs

1 lb. ground lamb

3 Tbs. ouzo

½ yellow onion, chopped

3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

1 medium garlic clove, minced

3 Tbs. fresh mint, finely chopped

1 ½ Tbs. fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 Tbs. capers (rinsed), finely chopped

1 large egg + 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten

½ tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

1 lemon, zested

1.            Place meat in medium bowl, add ouzo and let sit.  Sautee onions in 1 Tbs. olive oil until soft and caramelized, about 5 minutes.  Add onion to meat mixture.

2.            Add remaining ingredients to meat mixture and knead until well combined and smooth.  Using moistened hands or a small spring-loaded scoop, form meat mixture into 1” meatballs and place on a baking sheet.

3.            Heat 2 Tbs. olive oil in large skillet, cooking meatballs in batches until browned on all sides (size of batch depends of size of your skillet – keep the skillet hot by leaving plenty of room for each meatball).  Keep cooked meatballs warm on a baking sheet in a pre-heated 200-degree oven.  Sprinkle meatballs with lemon zest before serving.

Spring is in the air in my kitchen, even if the weather isn’t showing steady signs of the season.  Although peas aren’t generally my favorite vegetable, I am always drawn to their perky color come spring.  Peas and mint are a classic combination because the bright green color and creamy texture is complimented by mint’s equally bright and fresh flavor.  I’ve combined them here to form a pasta sauce, which is really a very comforting and healthy dish.  I like to think of this as a green mac-n-cheese, minus the copious amounts of cheese.  The pea sauce has a really cream, rich texture that evokes the same comforting quality in your mouth.  If you like a thinner pasta sauce, add additional chicken stock or olive oil as you puree the peas.  And if mint isn’t your thing, try substitute fresh basil instead.

I used brown rice pasta in this dish, but regular semolina pasta or whole wheat pasta would be equally delicious.

Give this dish a try – it’s really a celebration of the season.  Enjoy!

Spring Pea & Parmesan Pasta

1 lb pasta

1 Tbs. olive oil

½ medium red onion, chopped

1 Tbs. agave nectar or honey

½ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. fresh-ground black pepper

16oz fresh or frozen peas (2 cups)

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

½ Cup low-sodium chicken stock

¼ Cup chopped fresh mint leaves

Fresh-grated Parmesan cheese

1.            Bring large pot of salted water to boil and add pasta.  Cook pasta according to package directions, until al dente.

2.            Heat large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add olive oil and sauté onion until softened.  Add peas, agave nectar, salt and pepper.  Cook until peas are tender, 8-10 minutes.  Add butter and stir until melted.  Remove from heat and reserve ½ cup pea mixture.  Puree remaining pea mixture in food processor with chicken stock until mostly smooth.  Return pea puree and reserved whole peas to pan.

3.            Add drained pasta and chopped mint to peas toss to coat pasta.  Top with fresh-grated Parmesan and serve immediately.  Garnish with grated Parmesan and whole mint leaves, if desired.

I saw this fun football shaped meatloaf in Whole Foods.  Whether you like meatloaf or burgers, this is a great idea for game day.  Make your favorite meatloaf or burger recipe, altering it by shaping the raw meat into the shape of a football.  Use a football shaped cookie cutter to help form the burgers or shape them freehand.  Cook as usual.  Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut strips of deli sliced cheese into long narrow strips.  After meat is done to your liking, place strips of cheese in a lace pattern on top of burgers or meatloaf.  Don’t melt the cheese if you want the lace pattern to stay visible.  To make the perfect size bun for your football shaped burger, press the same football shaped cookie cutter to into large rolls (press through each piece of the roll separately for a cleaner cut).  Serve the football burgers with the buns on the side.  Enjoy the game!