Port-Braised Short Ribs

Courtesy of Cook’s Country

Serves 4 to 6

5 lbs beef short ribs (6 to 8 English-style ribs)

Salt and pepper

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp tomato paste

3 cups low-sodium beef broth

1½ cups ruby port

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup Minute Tapioca

1 sprig fresh rosemary

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375˚. Season ribs with salt and pepper and arrange bone-side up in roasting pan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and roast until fat has rendered and ribs are browned, 1½ to 2 hours. Transfer ribs to paper towel-lined plate. Reserve 2 tablespoons rendered beef fat and discard remaining drippings.

Reduce oven temperature to 300˚. Heat reserved fat in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook onion, carrot, and celery until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broth, port, vinegar, tapioca, rosemary, and ribs to pot and bring to simmer.

Cover pot and transfer to oven. Cook until sauce is slightly thickened and ribs are completely tender, about 2 hours. Transfer ribs to serving platter. Strain and skim sauce. Serve, passing sauce at table.

Make Ahead: Ribs and sauce can be refrigerated separately for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, heat sauce and ribs together over medium heat until ribs are warmed through.

Thai Peanut Chicken with Bean Thread Noodles

Adapted from Skinny Slow Cooker

Serves 6

4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

1 can light coconut milk

1 tbsp fresh ground lemongrass

2 Thai chiles, minced

1 tbsp all-natural peanut butter

1 lime, zested and juiced

2 tbsp chopped peanuts

8-12 ounces dried bean thread noodles

In a medium bowl, whisk the peanut butter into the coconut milk until dissolved. Add to slow cooker and stir in the lemongrass, chiles, lime juice and zest. Place the chicken breasts in the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours. Using two forks, shred the chicken and stir in the peanuts.

Cook the bean thread noodles according to package directions right before serving. Spoon the chicken over the noodles and serve immediately.

Editor’s Note: If the package says to soften in very hot tap water, we recommend bringing water to a simmer on the stove top, removing from heat and then adding the noodles until softened. “Very hot tap water,” at least in our little kitchen, wasn’t enough to soften the threads sufficiently.

Drunken Steak

Courtesy of Cook’s Country

Serves 4 (or 8-12 as hors d’oeuvres)

1 cup light rum

½ cup soy sauce (use Tamari Sauce for gluten-free)

1 tbsp dark brown sugar

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, minced

1 scallion, minced

1 flank steak (about 1½ pounds), scored on both sides at 1½-inch intervals

Whisk rum, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and garlic in bowl until sugar dissolves. Transfer ¼ cup rum mixture to small bowl and stir in scallion; set aside. Place remaining marinade and steak in gallon-size zipper-lock bag. Press air out of bag, seal, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.

Remove steak from bag, pat dry with paper towels, and discard marinade. Grill steak over hot fire until well browned and cooked to desired doneness, 4 to 7 minutes per side.

Transfer steak to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Slice thinly on bias and against grain. Drizzle with reserved rum mixture. Serve.

Korean Braised Short Ribs

Courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen’s Slow Cooker Revolution

Serves 4

2.5 lbs bone-in English-style short ribs, meat and bones separated

1 pear, peeled, cored, and chopped coarsely

½ cup soy sauce

6 garlic cloves, minced

3 scallions, sliced thin

4 tsp minced or grated fresh ginger

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

3 tbsp instant tapioca

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp minced, fresh cilantro

Arrange beef bones in a dish and microwave until well-browned, 10-15 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.

Process pear, soy sauce, garlic, scallions, ginger and vinegar in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute, then transfer to slow cooker. Stir in broth and tapioca.

Season short ribs with salt and pepper and nestle in slow cooker. Cover and cook until tender, 9-11 hours on low, or 5-7 hours on high.

Transfer short ribs to serving platter and tent loosely with foil. Let braising liquid settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using a large spoon. Remove bones and season sauce with salt/pepper to taste. Stir in cilantro. Spoon sauce over ribs and serve.

Mozzarella and Spinach Stuffed Chicken Meatloaf

Courtesy of Bakin’ and Eggs

Serves 6 to 8

1 pound ground chicken (We tested this with ground beef and it was delicious. Try it with classic meatloaf mix, turkey, chicken etc.)

1 cup marinara sauce, divided

½ cup fresh bread crumbs

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, diced

½ large onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, smashed and minced

2 eggs, lightly beaten

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon fennel seed, crushed (optional)

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (squeeze all the water out)

1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350˚. Line a 9-inch loaf pan with foil, shiny side down.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, ¼ cup marinara sauce, bread crumbs, herbs, fennel, garlic, onion, eggs and parmesan cheese and mix well.

Press half of chicken mixture into loaf pan, creating a one-inch indentation down the center. Leave one-inch thickness on all sides. Mix together spinach and 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and spoon into the indentation. Cover with remaining chicken mixture and seal edges.

Top with remaining ¾ cup marinara sauce and ¾ cup cheese and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160˚. Let stand for 10 minutes and then lift out of loaf pan using foil edges. Slice and serve with additional marinara sauce, if desired.

Thai Shrimp-and-Coconut Soup with Lemongrass

Courtesy of Food & Wine

Serves 4

5 Thai chiles, seeded and chopped (see Editor’s Note)

4 stalks of fresh lemongrass, tender inner bulb only, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup coarsely chopped peeled fresh ginger

1 large shallot, coarsely chopped

1 tbsp coconut oil or vegetable oil

3½ cups unsweetened coconut milk

¼ cup plus 2 tbsp dark brown sugar

¼ cup Asian fish sauce

¼ cup tamarind concentrate

6 fresh kaffir lime leaves (I can’t find these where I live – so I sprinkle some lime zest from the lime I’m already using over the top of the soup when I serve it. It’s pretty and tasty!)

3 tbsp fresh lime juice

Salt and freshly ground pepper

¾ pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

Cooked rice vermicelli (optional)

Editor’s Note: Ok here’s the deal. Don’t waste time chopping stuff that is going into a blender or food processor. Just give it a whack and toss it in.

What? Oh, you want to save more time? Ok – instead of whacking at garlic, lemongrass and ginger, pick thy up some of these gems from Gourmet Garden. They’re in the produce section of the grocery. You’re welcome.

In a blender [or food processor], combine the chiles, lemongrass, garlic, ginger, shallot and ¼ cup of water and puree until smooth.

In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut oil. Add the lemongrass puree and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the coconut milk, brown sugar, fish sauce, tamarind, lime leaves and 1½ cups of water and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the soup is flavorful and slightly reduced, about 15 minutes.

Stir the lime juice into the soup and season with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and simmer until slightly curled and just cooked through, about 1 minute. Ladle the soup into bowls, add the rice noodles, sprinkle with lime zest if using, and serve with copious amounts of napkins.

Michael Symon's Mom's Lasagna

Courtesy of TheChew

Serves 8

½ cup olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

Kosher salt

1 pound pork neck bones*

1 pound veal

1 pound beef

1 pound spicy Italian sausage (loose or removed from the casing)

½ cup dry white wine

4 cups chopped peeled tomatoes (or 1 - 28 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes) with their juice

3 bay leaves

1 pound dried lasagna noodles

2 pounds whole-milk ricotta cheese

¼ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley leaves

¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves

¼ cup fresh oregano leaves

2 large eggs

1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese (grated)

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

* If you can’t find pork neck bones, don’t panic. I used 3 turkey necks I had stored in the freezer and the results were still fantastic. Use your imagination.

In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and a three-finger pinch of salt and sweat them until they're translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the neck bones and let them brown, about 5 minutes. Add the ground veal, beef and sausage, and season with another healthy pinch of salt. Cook until the meat is browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the white wine, tomatoes and their juice, and the bay leaves. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, making sure to get all of the browned bits into the sauce. Season the sauce with salt, to taste, and simmer for 2 hours over medium heat. Remove the bay leaves and neck bones and let cool. Skim any fat that rises to the surface.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat. Add enough salt so that it tastes seasoned and allow the water to return to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until al dente. Drain well and set aside.

In a medium bowl mix together the ricotta, parsley, basil, oregano, eggs, and Parmesan with a pinch of salt.

Preheat the oven to 350˚.

Ladle about 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of a lasagna pan. Arrange a layer of noodles followed by a layer of sauce and then some of the ricotta mixture. Top with a layer of mozzarella, smoothing it with a spatula to the edges. Repeat the process until the pan is full. Finish with a final layer of noodles, sauce, the mozzarella, and Parmesan.

Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let it rest, 5 to 10 minutes before serving.