Tis the Season for Short Ribs

Holiday dinner parties, commence! And please, hostesses, I beg...this year, carry the conviviality into those cold bleak deep winter days. When the goodwill gets used up in December, by January I feel like a latecomer to the sushi station at a bar mitzvah. All the fatty tuna is gone.

In 2009, kindly consider stretching the holiday hospitality to the post-mistletoe days when it's needed most. Ah, what the heck. I'll throw a couple dinner parties of my own this winter. Sign up sheets are on the door.

Luckily, I have a bit of experience in this realm; just prior to Thanksgiving, BusinessweekTV asked me to put together a segment on dinner parties for under $100. I was as happy as an unemployed on-camera host to oblige. Just one month later, and already $100 seems extravagant for a five-course dinner for 6. Can you do it for $60? Oh yes I can. With lobster $5 per pound (!) I'm can turn water to wine. (Granted, those are the thick-shelled, winter lobsters, but as you're wrestling with the crustacean, remember, the sweetest meat comes in the toughest shell).

Check out the segment. Although they don't show the $30 I spent on dessert, trust me, it was good. A big chunk of grana padana, four different chocolates, amaretti cookies (so satisfying! and don't you love the tin?), and fresh winter fruit.

Here's the recipe for the short ribs. Braise them a few days ahead, or a month ahead and freeze. Serve over polenta, risotto, or celeriac puree. See you in January!


Short Ribs in Red Wine
Serves 6

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 pounds bone-on beef short ribs, cut into 2 to 3 inch pieces
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper (if desired)
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
2 stalks celery, sliced about 1/3-inch thick
2 garlic cloves, chopped
bay leaf
Kosher salt
3 sprigs rosemary
5 sprigs thyme
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
2 cups red wine (or more to cover)
grated zest of one lemon
¼ cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh horseradish (or drained prepared horseradish, if fresh is unavailable)

1. Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat and add oil. Generously season short ribs, add short to pan and cook until brown, about 4 minutes per side. You may need to do this in batches so as not to crowd the pan and inhibit browning.
2. Remove short ribs from pan and discard excess fat, leaving 2 tablespoons oil in the pan. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and bay leaf reduce heat to medium and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Return short ribs to pan with rosemary and thyme. Squish tomatoes into the pot, and add all tomato liquid. Cover ribs with red wine; don’t exceed 3 cups (it doesn’t need to completely cover; it can be a little short). If the liquid doesn’t cover, cover the surface of the ribs with parchment paper (to trap the steam) and cut out a whole in the center so the steam has a place to go.
4. Bring to a gentle simmer, and simmer until ribs are tender, 2 ½ to three hours. Remove and serve with sauce. Reduce sauce, if desired, to thicken; season if needed.
5. Sere ribs garnished with lemon zest, parsley, and horseradish.

5th Avenue Freeze Out: Breakfast Rice and Beans

It's frigging cold in New York. And I have no heat or hot water. In fact, I haven't had either for two weeks.

Because I'm a little bit outside the bell curve, this doesn't bother me all that much. It treat my condition like a challenge, my own surviror: at home episode, winter camping indoors. I have a lot of sweaters and blankets, for one, and a nifty electric space heater. I cope.

Foodwise, I require a lot of hot beverages in the evenings, and absolutely must have a warm breakfast.

I'm a savory breakfast kind of girl, so I don't reach for the bisquick or frozen waffles. Scrambled eggs don't hold the heat, and oatmeal feels too fiber-functional. I've been trying to make some room in the pantry, so I'm always rehydrating (pinto, black, cranberry) beans, and cooking up a pot of (brown, jasmin, basmati) rice. That means at any given time, I have delicious rice and beans, separately, in my refrigerator.

And since I love a savory morning, I'm not wishing for Fruity Pebbles as I toss the nutritious duo in a small skillet, with some salsa for a flavor boost. When the thing is warm (after about a minute on a medium flame) I crack an egg into the center, and cover the skillet with a lid.

After three minutes, I have a sunnyside up egg, with delicious, savory rice and beans -- a quick huevos rancheros. I could add chopped cilantro, sour cream, grated cheddar, avocado, jalapenos, and corn tortillas (if I felt like it), but that would require that I open the refrigerator. I haven't warmed up quite yet.

I pour the steaming savory skillet into a bowl and eat. Lots of flavor, varied texture, and a nice nutritious egg yolk to make a sauce. It's a warming way to begin the day, a meal I'll enjoy long after the heat goes on.