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Braised Skirt Steak with Creamy Polenta

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Braised skirt steak is a hearty dish you can prepare when you want to prepare something special. Slice the steak thinly to reduce the cooking time if desired. If you are not a fan of polenta, you may replace it with mashed potatoes instead.

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 large onions, peeled, thinly sliced

1/2 cup plain flour

1kg skirt steak, cut into 4 pieces

500ml beef consommé

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Steamed carrots for serving

Creamy polenta for serving

 

Preheat the oven at 180C and lightly grease a medium sized casserole dish. Next, heat a tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Stir-fry the onions for 4-5 minutes or until browned. Transfer it to the greased casserole dish.

Place the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Mix well and reserve one tablespoon. Dredge the steak in the seasoned flour.

Heat the remaining oil in the non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Fry the steak in batches for two to three minutes per side or until browned. Transfer the cooked steak to the casserole dish with onions.

Prepare the sauce by putting the reserved flour in the same pan. Stir it for a minute before gradually pouring in the beef consommé. Stir constantly until smooth. Add the Worcestershire sauce and season it with salt and pepper.

Pour the sauce over the steak and onions. Cover the casserole dish and bake it for two hours or until tender. Serve with creamy polenta and steamed carrots.

 

Photo Courtesy Of: FotoosVanRobin

Braised Beef

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Braised beef is a sumptuous comfort food that is perfect for heavy meals like lunch and dinner. It is often served over mashed potatoes or rice, but it is great with egg noodles too.

Preparing it can be tedious as it takes hours of cooking, but it is definitely worth it. The recipe calls for overnight refrigeration, but this dish becomes more flavorful as the days pass because the meat becomes more tastier. As for the wine, any type of red wine will do; although Zinfandel is also great because it gives off a light and fruity taste.

 

Serves 6

Ingredients:

12 beef short ribs, bone-in

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup grapeseed oil or olive oil

1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 750-ml bottle good dry red wine

6 cups beef stock

 

Preheat oven at 350F and season the beef with salt and pepper. After, heat the oil in a heavy ovenproof pan over medium heat. Fry the beef in batches for 4-6 minutes or until they are browned. Transfer the cooked beef to a plate and set aside.

Remove the excess fat from the pan and then place it over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and carrots to the pan. Sauté it for 4-6 minutes or until they are light brown. Stir constantly. Place the vegetables on a plate.

Pour the wine into the pan to deglaze it. Scrape off the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Let is simmer for 15 minutes or until the wine is reduced and the consistency is light and syrupy.

Put the ribs back into the pan. Add the beef broth and set the heat to high. Bring it to a boil. Remove from heat and cover the pan with foil. Braise it in the oven for one and a half hours or until the meat is very tender. Add the vegetables in the pan and cook it for another 10-15 minutes until they are heated through. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

With a spoon remove the excess fat that has solidified at the top. Put the pan over medium heat. Keep it uncovered and cook it for another hour until the liquid is reduced to half. Allow the sauce to thicken and glaze the meat. Reduce the heat as needed, so as not to burn the sauce. Serve warm over mashed potatoes or rice.

 

Photo Courtesy Of:  arnold | inuyaki

Osso Buco

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Osso buco is a famous Italian dish from Milan. It is made of veal shanks and vegetables braised in white wine and chicken broth. You can use any type of broth, but I prefer beef stock. The wine makes the meat tastier to the palette and the mix of herbs adds more flavor.  As always, feel free to adjust the ingredients according to your taste.

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 dry bay leaf

2 whole cloves

Cheesecloth

Kitchen twine, for bouquet garni and tying the veal shanks

3 whole veal shanks (about 1 pound per shank), trimmed

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or five spice

All purpose flour, for dredging

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 small onion, diced into 1/2-inch cubes

1 small carrot, diced into 1/2-inch cubes

1 stalk celery, diced into 1/2 inch cubes

1 cup tomatoes, sliced and seeded

1 cup dry white wine

3 cups beef broth

3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon lemon zest

To prepare the bouquet garni, place the basil, oregano, bay leaf and cloves in cheesecloth and tie it with the kitchen twine.

Dry the veal shanks using paper towels to remove extra moisture. After, secure the meat to the bone with the kitchen twine. Season it with salt and pepper.

Put flour on a plate. Roll the shanks in flour and shake off the excess.

In a big pot, heat the oil until it is very hot. Fry the veal shanks for 3 minutes on each side or until it is brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Saute the onions, carrots and celery in the same oil used for the shanks. Season it with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the vegetables are half cooked. Add the tomatoes and mix all the ingredients well.

Put the shanks in the pot with vegetables, pour in the white wine. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until half of the wine evaporates. Add the broth, cinnamon/five spice  and bouquet garni.  Keep the fire at low heat. Cover and simmer the veal shanks for 1- 1/2 hour or until they are very soft and falling of the bone. Check the meat every 15 minutes to make sure that the broth is covering 3/4 of the shank. Add more chicken broth if necessary. Turn the shank at least once to make sure it is evenly cooked.

Transfer the veal shanks to a plate and pour in the juices. Discard the bouquet garni. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon zest. Serve on top of noodles or with rice.

Photos Courtesy Of: stu_spivack