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| Sam Adams Braised Short Ribs with a Mac & Cheese Floater & Raw Kale Salad |
There is always an insane amount of holiday food leftover, even after the company has gone, and you given some out to family and friends. While doling it out to the homeless shelter may seem like a great idea, there are regulations on what can and can't be accepted at food banks, cooked food is usually one of those things....
There are certain staples when it comes to holiday food and as a result there is normally an abundance of those items, Mac & Cheese, Yams, Ham, Turkey are a few that come to mind. It seems that no matter how much of these things you give away, there's still a bunch leftover during the days that follow the holidays.
My simple suggestion is to use the sides in a different way and make the main dish different to change the nature of the dish.
On the menu today: Beer Braised Short Ribs W/ a Mac & Cheese Floater & Raw Kale Salad
Mac & Cheese is always leftover in my kitchen during the holidays, so what I usually do is add something hearty that will act as a catalyst to the Mac & Cheese, normally something braised that has a thick and rich sauce. The Addition of beer to the braising process adds flavor and richness to this dish that rounds it out perfectly but the addition of the kale salad marries the entire meal in a great way....
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| Leftover Goodness |
For the Short ribs we will need the following:
- Beef Short Ribs (bone in or out)
- Olive Oil (2 Tbs)
- Sam Adams Beer (3 each)
- Carrots (1/4 cup)
- Onions (1/2 cup)
- Celery (1/4 cup)
- Chicken Stock (64 oz)
- Fennel Bulb (1 bulb)
- Fresh Oregano (1 bunch)
- Fresh Thyme (1 bunch)
- Salt & Pepper (T T)
- Flour (1/2 cup)
- Butter (1/2 cup)
Start of by cutting the mirepoix (onions, carrots and celery) roughly and placing in the bottom of a dutch oven or roasting pan. Chop the fennel and add the herbs and the chicken stock. In a sauté pan, add the oil and turn on high, before adding the liberally seasoned short ribs (the idea is to get a crisp crust on all sides of the meat). Add the short ribs to the dutch oven, meanwhile deglaze the saute pan with a splash of the beer then add that and the remainder of the beer to the dutch oven (braising pot). Be sure to cover with a lid and place in an oven preheated to 375. This should take 1.5 to 2 hours to cook, I normally turn the ribs over at the hour mark. Cook until tender and then remove from the liquid allowing it to set aside. Place the liquid and the mirepoix in a blender to mix thoroughly. Add the roux to thicken the sauce, place this sauce over the ribs to serve. (I normally cut the meat into cubes while it cool and then add it back to the sauce to re-heat as seen below)
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| Cubed Short Ribs |
For the Mac & Cheese we will need:
- Elbow Macaroni (1 box)
- Mild Cheddar Cheese (3 oz)
- White Cheddar (3 oz)
- Milk (3/4 cup)
- Heavy Cream (1/4 cup)
- Flour (3 Tbs)
- Butter (3 Tbs)
- Sugar (2 Tbs)
- Ritz Crackers (1/2 cup)
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| Mac & Cheese |
Boil the macaroni in accordance with the instructions on the label then drain and set aside for later. In a pot add the butter and flour to combine to make the roux. then add the milk, heavy cream and 5 oz of the grated cheeses. Next add the sugar and the 3 Tbs of the ground Ritz Crackers, finally add the cooked macaroni to this cheese mixture and stir to incorporate. Place in a baking sheet and add the remainder of the cheese and Ritz crumbs to the top and bake on 350 for 45 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting out of the pan (if you are trying to shape the pasta).
For the Raw Kale Salad we will need:
For the Raw Kale Salad we will need:
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| Raw Kale Salad |
- Kale (2-3 lbs)
- Carrots (1 ea)
- Shallots (3 ea)
- Apples (1 ea)
- Soy Sauce (2 tsp)
- Olive Oil (2 Tbs)
- Sesame Seeds (1 Tbs)
- Rice Vinegar (1 tsp)
- Salt & Pepper (T T)
Cut the kale into strips and wash it then set it aside. Julienne the shallots and apples then grate or shred the carrots. Finally make the dressing by adding the other ingredients together and whisking. The Kale is hearty so it can be dressed and refrigerated until ready to eat....
SOLD!
ReplyDeleteThey were really good, the Sam Adam's was a perfect fit....
ReplyDelete