I served this incredibly delicious and easy to prepare dish on Friday night with friends looking for an excuse to open some spectacular wines that needed to be drank. Any excuse will do.

The original recipe comes from an article about slow cookers by Mark Bittman where he says about a slow cooker, “I call it the Monster of Braising. I use it almost every day. Go ahead and sneer. I love my slow cooker. Essentially a small, closed electric pot that provides extremely low and reliably even heat, the slow cooker is simple, safe and, as long as you don’t try to stretch its capabilities, virtually foolproof.”

I am in complete agreement and love my slow cooker but there was one problem,  I needed to double this recipe and my crock pot wasn’t big enough. I ended up using one Le Creuset French Oven and one Loge Cast Iron Dutch Oven.

After a little research on the Internet, I learned that the LOW setting on a slow cooker is around 200 degrees F and the HIGH setting is around 300 degrees F. So I set my oven to 200 degrees F and let this dish cook for about 6 hours and they were done and delicious. Because everyone’s ovens are a little different, I suggest you check after 5 hours and see how the ribs look. If they are tender and falling off the bone or the meat shreds, they are ready to go.

Beef Short Ribs

There is a lot of confusion when talking short ribs. I have looked at dozens of sites and one describes the different cuts one way and another describes them differently. I found a site called Amazing Ribs that describes them clearly. Not only short ribs, this site describes every kind of rib you have ever eaten. Here’s my attempt with their help.

Short ribs come bone-in or boneless and can be cut in different styles. If you are familiar with pork spare ribs, beef short ribs are larger and a little more meatier version of the same cut of meat. They are cut from the lower rib area called short plate. (see my beef chart page) These ribs are located “in front of another inexpensive, chewy but flavorful cut, the flank steak, and just behind another favorite cut for barbecue, the brisket.”

English Cut Short Ribs - According to Amazingribs, “there are usually 4-5 bones from 3 to 8 inches long sold as a rack or as a package of individual ribs.” I can’t say I’ve ever seen a whole rack sold in any market. They usually come as individual ribs or Short Rib Riblets where they come as a single bone and range in size from 2 to 6 inches.

Flanken Cut Short Ribs - Here the 4 to 5 rib bones are cut only about 1 inch long so you have a section of ribs 9 inches x 1 inch with bone in.

Boneless Short Ribs - These are the type I like to buy and used in this recipe. The meat is cut right off the rib bones so you have meat measuring about 1/2 to 1 inch thick and 8 inches long with no bones.

Hard to Find Ingredients

Chef Bittman’s recipe calls for two ingredients that you may have trouble finding unless you have an Asian supermarket near you or a very well stocked health food store. I went to two grocery stores near me and couldn’t find either one so I made some substitutions as described below. I did do a quick search on Amazon.com for these two ingredients and found they are available online.

Star Anise - According to Amazon’s product description, “Star anise is a star-shaped seed pod with a licorice taste similar to regular anise, only stronger. It is about one inch high with eight segments and a dark brown rust color. Star anise is a key ingredient in many Chinese, Vietnamese and Indian kitchens and can replace regular anise in western recipes.”

I substituted a fennel bulb, an anise flavored plant that you may be interested to know is one of the main herbs used in the preparation of absinthe, a very powerful alcoholic drink popular in France in the late 19th century. I am a big fan of fennel and use it raw in salads where its licorice flavor adds to greens and when braised mellows out and gives chicken and meats a wonderful extra layer of flavor.

Sichuan Peppercorns - Interestingly enough, Sichuan peppercorns are not related to what we know as black peppercorns but are according to Wikipedia, “the outer pod of the tiny fruit of a number of species in the genus Zanthoxylum, widely grown and consumed in Asia as a spice.”

Sichuan pepper has a lemony flavor and causes a tingly numbness in the mouth. Both Star Anise and Sichuan Pepper are ingredients in the popular Chinese Five-Spice Powder available in most supermarkets. This combination of spices contains all five flavors important in Asian cooking including sweet, sour, bitter, pungent and salty. I suppose I could have just substituted this spice for both ingredients. I ended up using fennel and black peppercorns and the results were fine.

Short Ribs with Asian Flavors

Ingredients:

• 10 boneless short ribs, cut in half
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 fennel bulb, chopped into small pieces
• 12 scallions, trimmed
• Two 3-inch pieces of cinnamon stick
• 10 nickel-sized slices of ginger
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

How to Make Braised Short Ribs with Asian Flavors

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees F.

I started by prepping all my ingredients before starting. I heated up my French and Dutch ovens on top of the stove and browned the meat on all sides. Don’t crowd the pans. If you have to brown the meat in batches, that’s OK and better than steaming the meat.

Once all the meat is brown, divide the soy sauce equally between the two pots. Equally portion the sugar, fennel pieces, scallions, cinnamon sticks, ginger and peppercorns into each pot. Cover the French and Dutch ovens and cook in the oven for 5 to 6 hours or until the meat is very tender and shreds easily with a fork.

Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

We served the ribs with mashed sweet/yellow potatoes and salad greens the first night. The next night we ate the leftovers with steamed cauliflower.

This is a very good dish and I highly recommend you try it with your crock pot or with your Dutch oven and let me know your results.

We planned to have burgers the other night but my 12 year old daughter decided she wanted to prepare them and use a recipe from a collection of recipes she received from her day camp. The booklet is called Gourmet Camper Caribbean Flair and is made up of recipes the kids could prepare at camp and at home.

You know I am a big proponent of Kids Can Cook because of the many benefits associated with teaching your kids how to cook including:

• Following a recipe
• Measuring and math skills
• Understanding various food groups
• Safety and lots more

The recipe she found in the camp recipe booklet was for Bifteki Burgers. What are Bifteki burgers?  I didn’t know so I looked them up on the Internet to find out they are Greek burgers and there are lots of variations for making them.

Here’s my daughter’s version of Bifteki Burgers. The original recipe is for twelve servings so we cut it in half.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1 and 1/4 pounds of ground beef
• 6 burger buns
• (cheese for cheeseburgers - optional)
• Fixings to serve with the burgers: fresh lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard

How to Prepare Bifteki Burgers

It’s the same as preparing any hamburger. You get the ingredients prepped and combine them in a large mixing bowl.

Start by peeling and carefully chopping the onion to small pieces. If you are letting your kids do this, you may want to watch closely or do this with them. My 12 year old is very good with sharp knives, but I’m less inclined with my 10 year old daughter.

Combine the ingredients together in the mixing bowl being careful not to over work the meat. The less you handle the meat, the better the burger turns out. Shape the burgers into 6 patties and here’s where your kids can have some fun. Let them make their own favorite shapes like stars, hearts, squares.

Grill the burgers for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. If you like them more rare, cook them for less time or if you like them more well done, let them cook longer. Please do not overcook them or they will taste like hockey pucks.

If you are going to add cheese, wait until the last minute of cooking, top with cheese and cover your grill so the cheese melts quickly. While the burgers are resting, toast the buns on a cooler part of the grill. It takes less than a minute to toast them. Do not let them burn.

Put the burgers on the buns and serve with your favorite toppings. We served ours with fresh farm corn on the cob and tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella.

Although my oldest daughter made the patties, my 10 year old helped me grill them. More great learning experiences when teaching your kids how to work around hot grills. She learned that when there is smoke there is fire as the fat from the burgers dripped onto the hot flames. The lesson learned was don’t walk away from the grill when cooking.

The burgers were delicious and having my kids prepare most of the meal made it even better.

Have a great weekend!

Chile Rellenos

Chile Rellenos are a classic Mexican dish. They begin with poblano peppers which are stuffed with a ground pork concoction known as picadillo, or cheese.  They are then dipped in an egg-based batter and deep fried.  They can be served with any of a myriad of sauces.

Poblanos are dark green chile peppers approximately 4-5 inches long and 2½ -3 inches wide.  Poblanos are the “bell pepper” of Mexican cuisine.  Poblanos are triangular in shape and flatter than bell peppers.  They are also less sweet, more savory and a little hotter.  Their heat level can vary but usually they are in the mild to medium range.  They are perfect for individuals who like a modicum of spiciness but not too much heat.

Picadillo is a mixture of ground pork, onions, garlic and tomatoes.  Raisins and nuts are also commonly added.  To make picadillo, saute a pound of ground pork and one chopped onion.  Give the meat and onions a head start and then add some garlic.

How to Make Picadillo

Add a 28-oz. can of tomatoes.  Break up the tomatoes and simmer until a thick consistency is achieved.  While the tomatoes are simmering add salt, pepper, and additional seasonings such as cumin, coriander, chili powder or hot pepper if you like.  Some chefs also add cinnamon.  If desired, add some raisins and toasted slivered almonds a few minutes before the cooking is complete.

Sometimes chile rellenos are made with a cheese stuffing alone.  Mexican melting cheeses such as Queso Chihuahua or Queso Oaxaca are customary but you could also use Monterey Jack.  Sauce options vary but a tomato based sauce is quite common.

Below is my recipe for Italian chile rellenos as well as the conventional ones.  Italian chile rellenos!!!  What!!!  I know, I know, I can hear the rabble amassing; anxious to accost me like a pinata.  The Latin chefs out there will think I’m totally loco.  If you’ve followed my column you know that I am normally an ardent purist and usually scoff at fusion cuisine.

With that said, I do find my Italian twist on the venerable dish quite tasty.  Basically I substitute mozzarella for the Mexican cheese and employ yellow bell peppers instead of poblanos.  I also abandon the batter and the frying.  However, the original dish remains iconic and peerless and below is the recipe for the batter followed by instructions for making the traditional classic.

ITALIAN CHILE RELLENOS

Ingredients:

• 4 yellow bell peppers
• 4 pieces of mozzarella cheese, ½ -inch thick, cut to the approximate size of the peppers
• Chile-tomato sauce, as needed, (recipe below)

How to Prepare at Home

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Roast the peppers over a gas flame on the stove, on a grill, or under a broiler until charred all around.  Or drop them in a deep fryer until the skins are blistered.  When cool enough to touch remove the skin.  Slice the stem end off the peppers and remove the seeds.

Insert a piece of mozzarella into each pepper.  Place the peppers in an 8-inch x 8-inch baking dish.  Smother them with the tomato-chile sauce.  Sprinkle them with some additional cheese if you like.  Place them in the oven until the cheese filling is melted.

CHILE-TOMATO SAUCE

Ingredients:

• 1 large red bell pepper
• 1-3 fresh or dried habanero peppers, depending on how hot you like it.
• 1 small onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup of red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 oz. tomato sauce

How to Prepare at Home

Roughly chop the bell and habanero peppers, (or grind the habaneros if using dried), onion and garlic.  Combine all of the ingredients except the tomato sauce in a pan, bring to a boil, and simmer, covered, for 8 minutes.  Puree the mixture in a blender.  Add the tomato sauce to complete.  If you don’t want any heat, just eliminate the habaneros.  Or if you prefer it just a little spicy, use one jalapeno instead.

CHILE RELLENO BATTER

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs, separated
• 1 tablespoon of flour, plus extra for dredging the chiles
• ½ teaspoon salt

How to Prepare at Home

Preheat a pot of vegetable oil to 375 degrees.  In an electric mixer whip the egg whites to stiff peaks.  Mix in the yolks one at a time.  Finally mix in the flour and salt.

For traditional chile rellenos, begin with four poblano chiles that have their stems intact.  Roast the peppers over a gas flame on the stove, on a grill, or under a broiler until charred all around.  Or drop them in a deep fryer until the skins are blistered. When cool enough to touch remove the skin.  Do not remove the stems.

Make a small slit in the side of each chile and scrape out the seeds.  Fill each chile with a Mexican cheese or the pork picadillo as described above.  Do not overfill.  Leave enough room that you can close the slit and make a small flap.  Thread the slit in each chile with toothpicks to close it.

Renowned chef Rick Bayless, the American doyen of authentic Mexican cuisine, freezes his stuffed chiles to hold them together before frying.  This bypasses the toothpicks altogether.  Dredge each stuffed chile lightly in flour.  Holding the stem, dip each chile into the batter and then drop into the hot oil.

Fry until they are a deep golden color, turning them once, for about four minutes.  Serve with the chile-tomato sauce.

Chef Mark R. Vogel