Saturday, March 30, 2019

Braised Short Rib Ravioli with Creamy Mushroom Sauce


Braised Short Rib Ravioli with Creamy Mushroom Sauce 

Short Ribs 

2 - 3 lbs short ribs, 2" cut 
4 cups red wine 
1 shallot, minced 
1 clove garlic, minced 
5 sprigs fresh thyme
5 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 cups beef stock
2 tbsp ketsup
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 leek, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Short Rib Filling 

1 large onion, diced 
1 tbsp butter 
Shredded meat from braised short ribs 
1 cup/14 grams mixed dried mushrooms
2 cups boiling water 
1 tbsp olive oil 
Salt and freshly ground pepper 

Pasta Dough

4 cups flour
6 eggs
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

Creamy Mushroom Sauce

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 cups mixed fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 shallot, minced 
2 cups braising liquid from short ribs 
Water from rehydrated mushrooms
2 cups heavy cream 
Salt and freshly ground pepper 

Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish 
Chopped fresh chives for garnish 

Marinate the short ribs with wine, shallot, garlic and herbs overnight. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Remove the ribs and reserve the marinade for later. Sear the ribs in a heavy saucepan over medium high heat until golden brown on all sides and remove. Add the carrot, leek and celery to the saucepan and carmelize on high heat, then deglaze with the reserved marinade. Bring to a boil, return the ribs to the pan and add beef stock, ketsup and honey. Season with salt and pepper. 

Cover and place in the oven for 3 hours or until the meat falls off the bone. Remove from the oven, strain the liquid and skim the fat, returning the braising liquid to the saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until reduced by half, approximately 30 minutes. Keep aside for the creamy mushroom sauce. 

Remove the short rib meat from the bones & membrane and using two forks shred the meat and set aside in a medium bowl. 

Rehydrate the dried mushrooms in the boiling water for approximately 15 minutes. Drain and reserve the mushroom water for the creamy mushroom sauce. 

Heat butter in a sautée pan on medium heat and cook onions until golden brown and Caramelized, stirring on a regular basis, approximately 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add to shredded short rib meat. 

Dice the rehydrated mushrooms and sautée in same pan over medium heat in olive oil until well cooked. Season with salt and pepper and add to shredded short rib meat and onions. Mix well. 

For the pasta dough, add 3 1/2 cups of the flour to a stand mixer equipped with the dough hook. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs and salt. Turn the mixer on low and slowly incorporate the flour into the egg mixture a little at a time. Once combined, turn dough onto a floured surface and knead about 5 minutes adding some of the remaining flour until the dough is not sticky. 

Bring the dough mixture into a ball and place in a bowl with olive oil. Cover and let rest 15 minutes or until ready to roll. The pasta can be used right away or will keep in the fridge for up to a week. 

Cut the pasta dough into 4 equal sections. Flatten one of the dough balls in your hand until it's about 1/2 inch thick and no wider than the slot of the pasta machine. Set pasta machine to its widest setting and feed the dough through lightly floured rollers. Lightly dust the dough and feed through the rollers 3 more times or until edges are smooth. Continue feeding through rollers until the 8th widest setting is reached, about 1 mm. 

Place filling, 1 tbsp at a time into the dough leaving 2 inches between each of them. Brush the edges of the pasta with water. Place a second sheet of dough over the filling. Press out any air pockets and use a cutter to cut the desired shape. 

Place the raviolis in a single layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet to prevent sticking. At this point you can freeze the ravioli for later. Place the baking sheet in the freezer until they are frozen and transfer to a resealable freezer bag. 

For the sauce, heat a sauce pan over medium heat, add olive oil and butter. Sautée the shallots and mushrooms until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Add reserved short rib braising liquid and water from the rehydrated mushrooms.  Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Add the cream and let simmer until thickened about 10 minutes. 

Cook the ravioli in salted boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes or until the ravioli floats. Serve 3 - 4 raviolis per person, top with mushroom sauce and garnish with the grated Parmesan cheese and chopped chives. 


Adapted slightly from Chuck Hughes Food Network 

Lip Balm

Lip Balm

1 oz beeswax
1 oz coconut oil
1/2 oz Shea butter 
1/2 oz cocoa butter 
30 drops fragrance oil
1 fl oz dram of flavour (optional)
Food colouring (optional)

Line up empty lip balm containers.  If using a lip balm stick ensure it has been twisted down. 

Measure butters and oils and place in a glass jar. Fill a saucepan with several inches of water and bring to a boil. Add glass jar to centre of saucepan and stir every few minutes until ingrediants are melted and combined. 

Remove from heat, let sit for 3 minutes. Add fragrance oil, flavour & food colouring if using and mix until well combined. Pour mixture into lip balm containers and allow to cool. 

Makes approximately 20 5 gram tubes. 

For a harder lip balm increase beeswax, for a softer lip balm increase coconut oil. 

Lip Balm Variations

Bubble Gum 
*    Mystic Moments Bubble Gum Fragrance Oil
*    LorAnn Bubble Gum Flavour 

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Spinach Casserole

Spinach Casserole 

4 eggs 
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained 
10 oz Gouda cheese, grated 
1/2 tsp salt 
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup cracker crumbs 
1 cup milk 

4 tbsp butter, melted 

In a medium mixing bowl, beat eggs well, add next 6 ingrediants, mix well and turn into a well greased casserole dish. 

Pour melted butter over top 

Bake at a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour uncovered until set and browned. 

Caprese Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

Caprese Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing 

2 1/2 lbs tomatoes, cut into 1/2 " pieces 
16 oz mozeralla cheese, cut into 1/2 " pieces or small boconini, cut in half 
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped 
12 bacon slices, chopped 
3 tbsp red wine vinegar 
1/2 tsp salt 
1/2 tsp pepper 

Arrange tomatoes, cheese and basil on serving platter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Sautée chopped bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove from heat and transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Transfer 3 tbsp bacon fat to a small mixing bowl and let stand for 1 minute. Whisk in vinegar, salt and pepper. 

Stir in bacon pieces and drizzle over the salad right before serving. 

Sunday, March 3, 2019

Boiled Eggs Instant Pot

Boiled Eggs Instant Pot 

1 cup water 
Eggs 

Place rack in instant pot. Add 1 cup water and place eggs on rack. Seal pressure cooker.  Set pressure cook time to 5 minutes. It will take approximately 5 minutes to come to pressure. 

After cook time has elapsed, let pressure cooker natural release for 5 minutes. Once 5 minutes have elapsed, release any remaining pressure. 

Carefully remove eggs from pressure cooker and place in ice bath for 5 minutes. 

To peel, tap egg on paper towel lined counter and roll. Shell will easily separate from egg. 

Use for egg salad, devilled eggs, in salad or enjoy salted. 

Adjust cooking time for desired outcome below: 

Hard boiled - 5 minutes 
Medium boiled - 4 minutes 
Soft boiled - 3 minutes 

Saturday, March 2, 2019

Three Cheese Risotto

Three Cheese Risotto

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 tsp salt 
1/4 tsp pepper 
3 cups chicken stock 
1 tsp garlic, minced 
1/2 lb Arborio rice 
1/2 tbsp butter 
1/4 cup heavy cream 
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, Romano, Asiago cheese blend 
1 tbsp chopped chives

In a large sautée pan, over medium heat add olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, season with salt and pepper & sautée for approximately 3 minutes or until the onions are soft. 

Add the stock and garlic & bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 6 minutes. 

Add the rice and simmer for 18 minutes, stirring frequently until mixture is creamy and bubbly. 

Add butter, cream, cheese blend, and chives. Reseason with salt and pepper. 

Simmer for an additional 2 minutes and serve immediately. 

Baked Maple Chicken Thighs

Baked Maple Chicken Thighs

12 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless 
2 tbsp olive oil 
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp kosher salt 
1/2 tsp pepper 
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced 
2 tbsp fresh parsley 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Place chicken thighs in a large bowl. Add oils, salt, pepper, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, garlic and half of the parsley.  Mix well and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. 

Mix again and transfer the chicken thighs to a 9 X 13 baking dish. 

Bake for 20 minutes or until the thighs reach and internal temperature of 150 - 155 degrees.  Move the baking rack closer to the top and place baking dish on rack and turn on the broiler to high. Broil for a few minutes, watching closely until slightly browned. 

Remove thighs from the oven, baste with pan juices, cover and let rest for approximately 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and serve.  

Rice Pudding Instant Pot

Rice Pudding Instant Pot

2 cups milk
1 1/4 cups cold water 
1 cup long grain rice 
1 cup raisins
1 tsp vanilla 
1/2 tsp salt 

Mix all ingrediants in instant pot. Close lid, seal to vent and select porridge for 20 minutes. It will take approximately 10 minutes to come to full pressure. Once finished, do a quick release and remove lid. 

Add 1 can sweetened milk and mix thoroughly. 

To serve top, spoon into a bowl, add heavy cream & sprinkle with cinnamon to taste. 

Friday, March 1, 2019

Beef Rib Roast

Beef Rib Roast

2 kg beef rib roast
Vegetable oil
Butter 
Fresh thyme sprigs
Season salt 

Heat oil and butter in an oven proof/cast iron skillet over medium high heat - 3.5 on my stove.  Add fresh thyme sprigs. 

Sprinkle roast with season salt and sear 5 minutes on each side and then edges until browned. Spoon butter over top of second side to keep it moist. Once an internal temperature of 100 degrees is achieved, place in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. 

Remove to cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. 

* 1 kg roast - sear for 2.5 minutes per side and cook in the oven for 6 minutes. 

Shredded Corn Beef Brisket Instant Pot

Shredded Corned Beef Brisket Instant Pot 

3.5 - 4 lb corned beef brisket 
1 large onion
5 garlic cloves 
4 cups beef broth 

1 tsp mustard seeds 
1 tsp peppercorns 
4 whole cloves 
1 tsp allspice berries 
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 
2 bay leaves 

1 1/2 tbsp spicy or gourmet mustard 

Quarter onion and spread in instant pot. Add garlic cloves and spices. Place brisket on top of onions, fat cap up. Add beef stock. Close lid, making sure it is latched and turn valve to seal. 

Set meat/stew setting to 75 minutes. It will take approximately 20 minutes to come to full pressure. 

Once time is up, allow a natural release for 30 minutes, open valve and quick release to release the remaining pressure until the pin drops.  

Remove brisket and place on baking sheet lined with foil, fat cap up. Set oven to broil, rub top and sides of of brisket with the mustard and place in the oven and let it carmelize until browned for a couple of minutes. 

Remove from oven and slice/shred brisket and place in a casserole dish. Strain the cooking juice to remove onions, garlic and bay leafs and add to the corned beef in the casserole. Cover and warm in a 350 degree oven and serve in a toasted bun. 


Pan Seared Pork Chops

Pan Seared Pork Chops 

4 - 1" thick pork chops
1 tbsp season salt 
1 tbsp Montreal steak spice
4 tbsp butter 

Heat large skillet on medium high heat and add butter. 

Season pork chops on both sides with season salt and Montreal steak spice to taste. 

Place pork chops in the skillet and cook approximately 4 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. 

Remove from skillet and rest 5 minutes before serving.